STAFFING UP. According to the Mori survey, 45 percent of companies expect to increase employee numbers in the coming year, which is helping to drive demand for office space.
“There has already been a significant amount of office space added in the city in the past few years, and there is more to come. But, still, we see office vacancy rates continuing to compress.”
LOCATION MATTERS. Since 2011 and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the sector has seen companies renting everything from Class A to Class S office space attempting to upgrade their facilities by moving into properties that are more resistant to natural disasters as well as being more comfortable, Hatton said.
Pembroke Real Estate operates an office property in Tokyo’s Roppongi district that is home to more than a dozen companies.
INNOVATION MATTERS. Price is a factor in any decision to move into a new office space, Hatton said, but occupants are increasingly seeking out uniquely designed buildings that will reflect their brand identity and facilitate a creative work environment.
A new generation of entrepreneurs and employees is seeking a flexible work environment and user-friendly spaces, and a number of relatively new companies are looking to leverage this need.
LIKE-MINDED WORK. Arguably the best-known name in the shared workspace area is WeWork Companies Inc. The Japan unit of the company that was founded in New York in 2010 now has 17 properties across the country.
