基準地価 加速する被災地の「二極化」

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 25, 2012)
Polarization in land prices growing in disaster-hit areas
基準地価　加速する被災地の「二極化」（9月24日付・読売社説）

There are signs that land prices are bottoming out, but scars left by the Great East Japan Earthquake remain, leaving the prospects of land prices uncertain.
　地価底入れの兆しはあるものの、東日本大震災の爪痕が残っており、先行きは不透明だ。

The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry recently released data of average residential and commercial land prices as of July 1.
　国土交通省が７月１日時点の基準地価を発表した。

Average residential land prices fell from a year earlier for the 21st straight year, while commercial land prices dropped for the fifth straight year. However, the margin of falls in both residential and commercial land prices narrowed compared with a year earlier.
住宅地が２１年連続、商業地も５年連続で下落したが、下落率はともに前年より縮まった。

The margin of decline in land prices in the three major metropolitan areas, including Tokyo, narrowed to the zero percent range for residential and commercial land. The decline has nearly leveled off in these areas.
　東京など３大都市圏の下落率は住宅地、商業地いずれも０％台へ縮小し、横ばい状態となった。

This has been due to growing housing demand, supported by such government policies as extremely low interest rates and tax breaks for home buyers taking out mortgages.
　超低金利や住宅ローン減税などの政策効果で、住宅需要が高まったことが要因だ。

In some areas, land prices have been buoyed by the opening of large commercial complexes and the accompanying redevelopment of neighboring areas. The opening of Tokyo Skytree this spring is a prime example.
今春開業した東京スカイツリー周辺のように、大型商業施設や再開発が地価上昇の追い風になった地域もある。

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Recovery will take time

Of the 20,000-plus surveyed locations, only 658--just 3 percent--recorded price rises. The recovery in land prices in local areas has lagged that of urban areas.
　ただし、全国２万か所の調査地点のうち、地価が上昇したのは６５８地点で、全体の３％に過ぎない。都市部に比べて、地方の回復は遅れている。

It will apparently be some time yet until land prices shift into a full-fledged upward trend. The government will need to pay close attention to future movements in land prices.
　地価が本格的な上昇局面を迎えるまで、なお時間がかかるのではないか。政府は今後の動向を注視する必要があろう。

Worryingly, there is a growing polarization in land prices in areas stricken by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami and crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
　気になるのは、大震災や原発事故の被災地で、地価の二極化が強まっていることだ。

Land prices declined markedly in coastal areas hit hard by the tsunami and parts of Fukushima Prefecture seriously affected by the nuclear disaster.
　津波によって被害を受けた沿岸部と、原発事故の影響が深刻な福島県などは特に下落が目立つ。

On the other hand, areas on higher ground in the disaster-hit region saw land prices rise considerably and across the board, as demand grew among disaster victims hoping to rebuild homes on safer ground.
一方、被災者の移転需要で高台は軒並み大幅に上昇した。

Among residential areas, the biggest price rise was logged on a section of higher ground in tsunami-hit Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate Prefecture. The areas that reported the 10 biggest margins of increase in land prices were all in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
　住宅地で上昇率が全国一だったのは、岩手県陸前高田市内にある高台だ。上昇率の全国上位１０地点を岩手、宮城両県が独占した。

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Safety comes first

Soaring land prices could adversely affect the rebuilding of homes for people affected by last year's disaster. If demand for housing is concentrated on limited residential land in their original neighborhood and the uptick in land prices accelerates, local governments will become unable to promptly purchase plots of land needed for their post-disaster reconstruction plans.
　地価の急上昇は、被災者の住宅再建に悪影響を及ぼしかねない。近隣の限られた宅地に需要が集中し、値上がりに拍車がかかれば、自治体は復興計画に必要な用地買収を迅速に実施できなくなる。

In some cases, private business operators have snapped up such land while local governments have dawdled through the purchase process.
　自治体が手間取っている間に、民間事業者が先行し、用地を取得するケースもあるという。

The central and local governments need to cooperate and expedite efforts to implement reconstruction projects.
　政府と自治体は連携し、復興事業を急がねばならない。

It is also necessary to increase the monitoring of land deals to prevent land from being traded speculatively.
投機的な売買を招かないよう、土地取引の監視を強めることも必要だ。

The latest survey on land prices clearly reflected residents' fear of another disaster.
　今回の基準地価には、災害に対する住民の警戒感が反映している点も見逃せない。

Land prices declined markedly not only in quake-affected areas but also in coastal parts of Wakayama, Kochi and other prefectures. This probably was due to people's concern over expected damage from tsunami in the event of simultaneous major earthquakes along the Nankai Trough.
　大震災の被災地にとどまらず、和歌山県や高知県などの沿岸部でも下落が目立つ。南海トラフ巨大地震などの津波被害が懸念されているためだろう。

Lessons learned from last year's catastrophe have also spread to urban areas. Land prices are recovering in areas where highly quake-resistant office buildings are concentrated.
　大震災の教訓は都市部にも浸透している。耐震性に優れたオフィスビルが集まる地域は、地価が持ち直し傾向にある。

The degree of "safety" has become a new yardstick for assessing real estate across the country. Reinforcing the disaster-prevention functions of regions will lead to the full-scale recovery of land prices.
　「安全性」は全国で不動産の新たな評価基準になっている。地域の防災機能を強化することが、地価の本格回復にもつながろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 24, 2012)
（2012年9月24日01時20分  読売新聞）