Ministry of Defense area in Ichigaya, Tokyo. (©Sankei)
A Patriot PAC-3 missile battery, designed to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, sits on land in a plaza next to the Ministry of Defense's (MOD) headquarters in Tokyo's Ichigaya district. With regional tensions rising, officials see it as a linchpin of the capital's air-and-missile defense, meant to shield civilians and critical facilities.
The plaza is restricted to authorized personnel. But nearby high-rise apartment towers are said to offer clear sightlines down onto the PAC-3 position.
Now, many of those apartment buildings are believed to have ended up in foreign hands. "We do our job on the assumption that we're being watched at all times," said a senior Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) officer who has been involved in guarding the Ichigaya garrison.
A Target for Sabotage?
As countries go to great lengths to conceal the inner workings of their air-defense systems, Japan's posture looks uncomfortably exposed. That reality was thrown into sharp relief by figures the Cabinet Office released in December 2025.
In fiscal 2024, foreigners and foreign-linked companies acquired 3,498 parcels of land and buildings around defense facilities and other sites deemed critical to national security. Tokyo accounted for 1,558 of those deals, by far the largest share. About half of the acquisitions were linked to Chinese buyers.
The highest concentration was around three Japanese and United States military facilities. These included the Ground Self-Defense Force's Medical School in Setagaya, the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency's Naval Systems Research Center in Meguro, and the US Force Center in Minato. Together, they accounted for 553 acquisitions. Of those, 252 were linked to Chinese buyers.
Around the Ichigaya headquarters itself, often described as the heart of Japan's defense establishment, there were 309 acquisitions. China accounted for 166.
Central Tokyo sees a high volume of real estate transactions. Yet Ichigaya houses key command functions and an intelligence hub. The area could be vulnerable to communications interference, jamming signals, or other covert activity.
Economics Over Security
After Japan's National Land Use Planning Act took full effect in September 2022, the area around the MOD's Ichigaya headquarters was not designated a "special monitored area." That designation would have required notification when property changed hands. Instead, it was placed in the lower-tier "monitored areas," where restrictions were lighter.
Behind the decision was pushback from Komeito during the ruling coalition deliberations. Although it was the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) junior partner at the time, it strongly opposed tougher rules. Party leaders argued that stricter oversight would chill an already active real estate market. Critics said the approach put economic considerations ahead of security.
Following Komeito's exit from the LDP coalition, the Sanae Takaichi administration quickly shifted course, moving to tighten rules on land purchases by foreigners.
Starting in April, companies buying land and forests in sensitive locations, including areas around defense-related facilities, will be required to file a notification. The requirement covers not only the nationality of the company's representative, but also cases in which at least half of its officers share the same foreign nationality.
In addition, the government also plans to draw up basic rules governing foreign land ownership this summer.
A Cabinet Office survey found that foreigners and foreign-linked companies have been snapping up property near SDF facilities in places including Hokkaido, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Fukuoka.
Some former senior officials say the government should start by expanding the designated zone around the MOD's Ichigaya headquarters. "If you wait for signs of interference, you've already waited too long," one said.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Toyohiro Ichioka, The Sankei Shimbun
