FX.co ★ Japan Housing Starts Rise for 1st Time in 10 Months

Japan experienced a notable increase in housing starts in February 2025, recording a 2.4% rise compared to the previous year. This growth comes after a 4.6% decline in January and surpasses market projections, which anticipated a 1.4% downturn. This marks the first instance of expansion since April 2024. Specifically, there was a recovery in new dwellings for two-by-four constructions, which surged by 10.1% following a 6% drop in January. Built-for-sale properties also saw a positive shift, increasing by 5.1% from a 6% decrease, while rented accommodations rose by 3.2% against a previous 1.2% decline. Conversely, there were decreases in housing starts for owned properties (-0.2% versus -8.6%), issued dwellings (-40.4% versus -0.3%), and prefabricated structures (-0.9% compared to January's 1.2% rise).