How to check if land in Okinawa is in a designated zone

Two kinds of zone

Land within about 1,000 m of an important facility, or on a border island, can be designated.

• Monitored zone (chushi kuiki): The government can survey land use. No notice is required for a purchase.
• Special monitored zone (tokubetsu chushi kuiki): Notice is required before a contract, if the purchase meets the size rule below.

Check the address on the government map

1. Open the government's web map. Accept its terms of use first.
2. Use the search button to look up an address or facility name.
3. See whether the point falls inside a zone and which kind.
4. Confirm with the Cabinet Office if the boundary is close. The published zone drawings are also on its site.

Do this for the exact parcel, not just the town. The Okinawa lists cover parts of many municipalities, including Naha, Urasoe, Ginowan, Okinawa City, Uruma, Chatan, Yomitan, Onna, Miyakojima and Ishigaki. Usually only part of a municipality is included.

Which purchases need notice

• The contract transfers ownership, or a right to acquire it. Leases and mortgages are not covered.
• The land is 200 m² or more, or the building has 200 m² or more of floor area. Land is judged per parcel. A building is judged per unit.
• It is in a special monitored zone.

Some cases are exempt, including contracts that need a farmland permit and transfers to public bodies. Ask the Cabinet Office if you are unsure.

Who files, and when

Both buyer and seller must notify the Prime Minister before signing. If you send it by post, it must arrive by the day before the planned contract date. So this has to be in the schedule from the start, not added at the end.

Not giving notice, or giving false notice, can bring up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥1,000,000. The Cabinet Office's enquiry line is 0570-001-125.

What being in a zone means

The pages we checked describe notice and use controls, not a ban on buying. The government can survey land use and can issue recommendations and orders against use that impairs a facility's function. Rules on foreign ownership are under discussion, so check the current position before you commit.