According to the highest land prices (per square meter) as of January 1, announced by the National Tax Agency on January 3, all three locations in the Shiribeshi area (Otaru, Kutchan, and Yoichi) remained flat year-on-year. Kutchan has remained flat for the third consecutive year, and Otaru and Yoichi for the second consecutive year. In anticipation of the easing of restrictions on movement as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus, the recovery trend was remarkable in nearby Sapporo, and expectations are rising even within the jurisdiction for price increases from next year onwards.

■ Stagnation due to the corona; foreign capital moves
Of the 30 tax offices in Hokkaido with the highest land prices, 5 in Sapporo and 6 in Kushiro increased compared to the previous year. Six points, including Hakodate, Muroran, and Fukagawa, fell.

Until 2020, Kutchan’s price continued to soar, with the highest rate of increase in Japan for six years in a row. However, tourism demand has fallen due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and land transactions by foreign capital have been left to wait, so there has been no change since 2021. A real estate appraiser in Sapporo, who is familiar with the situation in the Niseko area such as Kutchan, said, “Kutchan, which had a high degree of dependence on foreign capital, is expected to stagnate under the coronavirus. The topic of active investment has already increased. It has already started, and from next year onwards, land prices will once again draw an upward curve.”

Otaru’s highest road land prices have remained flat after rising for three consecutive years until 2021. However, the number of tourists in the city increased by 52% year-on-year to 4,065,000 in fiscal 2022, which was the first year in which there were no restrictions on movement under the coronavirus, and the number of tourists has increased by 52% compared to the previous year. There are also bright materials. Riho Maeda, 31, a part-time worker at a souvenir shop on Sakaimachi-dori Shopping Street, which includes the highest point in the city, commented, “I feel like the frequency of listening to foreign languages has almost returned to what it was before COVID-19. It’s clearly not lively.” hopeful.
　
Over the past 30 years, 130,000 yen per square meter from 2012 to 2016 is seen as the “bottom price” in Otaru. A real estate agent in the city said, “Due to the weak yen, domestic land prices remain undervalued. Due to the continued high prices in the Niseko area, it is unlikely that the land prices in Otaru will fall further for the time being. ” is analyzed.
　
The land price is the assessed value of the land facing the main road and is the basis for calculating the inheritance tax and gift tax.