TokyoOffice Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, Mitsuhiro Ugaki, CEO, hereafter Tokyo Office), melding Internet services with real estate data to offer Japan’s first Tokyo office space rental site using the Google Maps API, announced that an English-language version of their Tokyo real estate information portal, TokyoOffice, is now available at http://tokyooffice.net .

This web service represents an extremely convenient and previously unavailable option for companies and individuals considering an entry into the Japanese market and investigating office space in Tokyo. CEO Mitsuhiro Ugaki notes that although there are already many offices for European, North American and Chinese companies in Tokyo, real estate data is only available in Japanese. Furthermore, he points out that spatial measurements are nearly always given in the Japanese tsubo unit, further hampering the ease with which overseas companies could search for the right office space. Consequently, TokyoOffice enables overseas companies interested in establishing a presence in Tokyo to easily search for office space by making the already highly regarded TokyoOffice web service available in English. Currency units are displayed in US dollars, British pounds, Euros and China’s yuan. Dimensions are indicated in square feet (the US standard), square meters (the global standard) and tsubo (the Japanese standard) making it easier to relate to office space in Tokyo, using standards of measurement common to the different countries, which leads to making the best choice.

Tokyo office space can still be at fairly reasonable prices for overseas businesses, and there are many opportunities for expansion. That said, when opening a new office in Tokyo, or when relocating an existing office within Tokyo, things don’t always go very smoothly. This stems often from the Japanese custom of using an intermediary company between the property owner and the company that intends to lease. Multiple buildings will have their own agents, andthe company will need to negotiate conditions separately with each. This complicates the decision-making process in Japan, taking more time, during which other contracts might be signed.

TokyoOffice uses the advantages of the Internet to resolve the issues facing overseas businesses searching for office space, allowing for global access to compare office buildings in Tokyo. When coupled with our affiliate companies for the needed negotiations, we aim to shorten the time needed and simplify the necessary processes.