Short answer: Kagoshima has no single prefecture-wide akiya bank. Municipalities run their own, and the prefecture's relocation site, Kagoshima Iju Net, groups them by region. The pages are in Japanese, so search with browser translation and the words 空き家バンク, 売買 and 賃貸. The relocation fund's page lists accepted residence statuses but still needs a Tokyo-area history. The hazard that defines the area around Kagoshima City is Sakurajima: the Japan Meteorological Agency has kept the volcanic warning at level 3 since July 2022, and Kagoshima City publishes the hazard map in English.
The relocation site. Kagoshima Iju Net's housing page describes the akiya bank as a system in which a municipality introduces owners who want to sell or rent a vacant house to people who want to use one, and says that "basically, negotiation and contract are conducted between the parties". Some municipalities help through their offices and registered real estate agents. It links to each municipality's bank, grouped by region: Kagoshima, Nansatsu, Hokusatsu, Aira-Isa, Osumi, Kumage and Oshima (status as of October 2023, as stated on the page). The prefecture also runs an official relocation and visitor platform, KAGOLOOP.
Prefecture pages and consultation. The prefecture's akiya page is a hub of akiya topics with a Housing Policy Office contact (099-286-3738). Its consultation page lists municipal akiya windows for all 43 municipalities and expert groups for renovation, demolition, termites, tax, legal matters, real estate transactions and home inspections. These are Japanese-language contacts.
National banks. At Home (akiya-athome.jp) and LIFULL HOME'S also carry participating Kagoshima towns. Whichever source you use, the conditions are on the municipality's page: see our akiya bank conditions guide.
| Goal | Japanese to use |
|---|---|
| A town's bank | 鹿児島県 [town] 空き家バンク, for example 南さつま市, 肝付町, 屋久島町 |
| Sale or rental | 売買 / 賃貸 |
| Renovation subsidy | [town] 空き家 改修 補助金 |
| Relocation fund | 鹿児島県 移住支援金 |
| Ash and volcano | 桜島 降灰 [town], 桜島火山ハザードマップ |
Kagoshima's akiya span the mainland and the island chains, so read the road frontage (接道), land category, water and heating arrangements on every listing, and use the kanji red-flag guide. The agent question list is Japanese ready to paste.
The prefecture's relocation support page (updated 31 August 2026) lists ¥1,000,000 for a household of two or more and ¥600,000 for a single person, plus up to ¥1,000,000 per child under 18 who moves with you. The origin condition follows the national scheme (Cabinet Office): five of the previous ten years in Tokyo's 23 wards, or commuting to them from the non-disadvantaged Tokyo area, with the last year continuous. You need a job on the Kago Job matching site, a professional-talent route or remote work for your existing employer, must apply within a year of moving and intend to stay five years. Full repayment applies for a false application, a move within three years or leaving the job within one year; half between three and five years, except where the employer collapses or in a disaster or illness. The page lists 34 municipalities.
The page also says applicants must be Japanese or foreign nationals holding one of the statuses of permanent resident, spouse of a Japanese national, spouse of a permanent resident, long-term resident or special permanent resident (永住者, 日本人の配偶者等, 永住者の配偶者等, 定住者, 特別永住者). So the wording reaches foreign residents, but a buyer arriving from overseas, or with a status not on the list, would not meet it as written, and the Tokyo-area history applies to everyone. Ask the destination town.
Weighing a house near Sakurajima against one farther away? An Akiya Check report brings together the flood, landslide, tsunami, elevation and zoning data for the exact lot in one English report (emailed; PDF on request) and lists the follow-up questions for the agent. Compare 3 puts three candidates side by side.
Single report $49 · Compare 3 $99 Free 12-point checklistThe Japan Meteorological Agency's Sakurajima activity page lists volcanic warning level 3 (entry restrictions) in force since 27 July 2022. At the time of writing it records five eruptions, one of them an explosion, from the Minami-dake crater between 2 and 5 October 2026, with ash about 2,000 metres above the crater rim and large ballistic blocks reaching the seventh station. It warns of large ballistic fragments and pyroclastic flows within about 2 km of the craters, ash and fine particles downwind, and explosion air blasts that can break windows, and it notes continued magma accumulation beneath the Aira Caldera and an expectation of continued eruptive activity. For a house in or near Kagoshima City, Tarumizu or the Sakurajima area, the practical questions are about ash: roof and gutter condition, windows and air-conditioning intakes, where ash is stored, and who clears it.
Kagoshima City's ash removal page says residential ash is collected in "kokuhai" bags that the city distributes free of charge, gathered at ash stations, and that road sweepers and sprinkler trucks clean the streets. It lists subsidies for ash-removal equipment aimed at shopping districts and ash storage places for business sites, but the page does not describe household subsidies. The city's Sakurajima volcano hazard map page offers the map in Japanese, English, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese; the Japanese version was updated in April 2026 and the English version shown on the page in June 2023, so check the Japanese version for changes.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 normals count 4.3 typhoon approaches a year for the Amami and southern Kyushu region, against 5.8 for the Japanese mainland as a whole (JMA). Treat roof, windows and drainage as normal inspection items (inspection guide).
For flood, landslide and tsunami risk on the exact lot, use the layers on the national hazard map and the municipality's own hazard map, and for hillside lots read the retaining wall guide.
The prefecture's relocation site describes it as a municipal system that introduces owners who want to sell or rent a vacant house to people who want to use one, and says negotiation and contract are basically between the parties. Municipalities run their own banks, grouped on the site by region from Kagoshima to the Oshima islands. The pages are in Japanese.
The prefecture's page, updated 31 August 2026, says applicants must be Japanese or foreign nationals holding the status of permanent resident, spouse of a Japanese national, spouse of a permanent resident, long-term resident or special permanent resident. It lists ¥1,000,000 for a household and ¥600,000 for a single person for people from the Tokyo area, and a Tokyo-area history is still required.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's Sakurajima page lists volcanic warning level 3, with entry restrictions, in force since 27 July 2022, and records five eruptions including one explosion between 2 and 5 October 2026, with ash reaching about 2,000 metres above the crater rim. It expects continued eruptive activity.
Yes. Kagoshima City publishes the Sakurajima volcano hazard map in Japanese, English, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. The Japanese version was updated in April 2026, while the English version on the page was updated in June 2023, so compare it with the Japanese version for changes.
Have a specific listing in mind? Get the official zoning, hazard and transaction data for that exact lot — plus the questions to send the agent — in one report.
Get a $49 risk report Free 12-point checklistThis guide is general information based on public sources cited above. It is not legal, tax, or real-estate brokerage advice. Confirm every item for a specific property with the agent, the municipality, and licensed professionals.