Short answer: Kochi has two Japanese-language entry points. The prefecture's akiya portal, akiya-kochi.jp, links to each municipality's akiya bank and runs a free consultation line, and the relocation portal Kochike de Kurasu (高知家で暮らす。) lists akiya bank properties, some with VR viewing. Search with browser translation and the words 空き家バンク, 売買 and 賃貸. Relocation money exists and its page lists accepted residence statuses, but it still depends on a Tokyo-area history. The big hazard in Kochi is the Nankai Trough earthquake: the prefecture says a 1-metre tsunami could reach parts of its coast in as little as 3 minutes.
The prefectural portal. The prefecture's Housing Division opened the akiya portal on 1 August 2022 with basic information, a FAQ and case studies of akiya reuse. For people looking to buy or rent, the site offers a municipal akiya bank directory, a link to the Kochi Prefecture real estate association, a price-estimation tool, a directory of subsidies by municipality and a free consultation window (088-803-6511, weekdays 10:00 to 17:00; staff take sale and rental questions and, where needed, connect you to specialist firms). Expect Japanese when you call.
The relocation portal. Kochike de Kurasu is run by the Kochi Prefecture UI-Turn Support Center. Its housing page explains that an akiya bank is a municipal service in which towns introduce local vacant houses, that such houses are often cheap but may need renovation at the occupant's expense, and that you negotiate with the owner directly. It also describes "relocation promotion housing", houses that towns renovate and lease to newcomers under conditions that need checking. Several listings are marked as available for VR viewing. The page notes that how you search varies by region.
National banks. At Home (akiya-athome.jp) and LIFULL HOME'S also carry participating Kochi towns. Whichever site you start on, the conditions are on the municipality's page: see our akiya bank conditions guide.
| Goal | Japanese to use |
|---|---|
| A town's bank | 高知県 [town] 空き家バンク, for example 四万十町, 土佐町, 黒潮町 |
| Sale or rental | 売買 / 賃貸 |
| Town-run rental houses | [town] 移住促進住宅 |
| Renovation subsidy | [town] 空き家 改修 補助金 |
| Tsunami and flood risk | ハザードマップ plus the town name |
Because the portal itself says search methods vary by region, decide the area first and then go to that town's page. Read the road frontage (接道), land category and heating and water 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 (fiscal 2026, updated 14 May 2026) lists up to ¥1,000,000 for a household and up to ¥600,000 for a single person, with extra amounts per child under 18 set by each municipality. The origin condition follows the national scheme (Cabinet Office): five of the previous ten years in Tokyo's 23 wards, the last year continuous, excluding disadvantaged areas of Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa. You also need a qualifying job (a company on Kochi's matching site, permanent, 20 hours a week or more), telework for your existing employer, a start-up with support funding, a professional-talent route or a related-population role set by the town. You apply within a year of moving and must commit to five years in the municipality. Full repayment is required for a false application, a move within three years or leaving the job within one year, and half between three and five years. The page lists application windows for 34 municipalities.
Under "other requirements" the page says applicants must be Japanese, or foreign nationals holding one of these statuses: 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 does reach foreign residents, but a buyer arriving from overseas, or holding a status not on that list, would not meet it as written, and the Tokyo-origin condition applies to everyone. Confirm with the destination town. For other money, the relocation portal says supports such as renovation aid and rent subsidies vary by municipality; no amounts are given there, so use the subsidy directory on the akiya portal or ask the town.
Weighing a Kochi coastal house against a mountain one? An Akiya Check report brings together the tsunami, flood, landslide, 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 prefecture's page on the characteristics of a maximum-class Nankai Trough earthquake says a 1-metre tsunami could reach the coast in as little as 3 minutes and that most of the coastline faces tsunami heights above 10 metres, with exceptions such as some bays. It also recalls the 1946 Showa Nankai earthquake (M8.0), which left 679 people dead or missing in Kochi, with tsunami of 4 to 6 metres along the coast. The three-minute figure matters for a buyer: on a low coastal lot the practical question is where high ground is and how long the walk takes, including for older or less mobile household members.
The same page, citing the prefecture's 2012 assumptions, says that the ground in Kochi City would subside by about 1.5 metres, leaving about 2,800 hectares of the central city flooded for a long period, and that Sukumo City would subside by about 2.4 metres, leaving about 559 hectares flooded. For a house in a low-lying area, that is a different question from the tsunami itself: the prefecture is describing land that stays under water after the waves, so ask your insurer and the agent how such a lot is treated.
In 2025 the prefecture published updated seismic intensity and tsunami inundation predictions, based on the Cabinet Office's March 2025 national estimate with local data added, covering tsunami timing and depth for 25 coastal areas. The prefecture stresses that these are possibilities, that the earthquake will not necessarily occur as assumed and that science cannot say when. For an address, use the current prefectural map rather than an older printout, and compare it with the national layer in the hazard map guide.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 normals count 3.3 typhoon approaches a year for the Shikoku region, against 5.8 for the Japanese mainland (JMA). Treat roof, windows and drainage as normal inspection items (inspection guide), and for hillside lots read the retaining wall guide.
Kochi Prefecture's akiya portal (akiya-kochi.jp, opened 1 August 2022 by the prefecture's Housing Division) links to each municipality's akiya bank and to a prefectural real estate association site, and offers a free consultation line. The relocation portal Kochike de Kurasu (kochi-iju.jp) also lists akiya bank properties, some with VR viewing. Both are in Japanese.
The prefecture's fiscal 2026 page lists up to ¥1,000,000 for a household and up to ¥600,000 for a single person for people who lived in Tokyo's 23 wards for five of the previous ten years. Among its other requirements it says applicants must be Japanese, or foreign nationals holding one of these residence statuses: permanent resident, spouse of a Japanese national, spouse of a permanent resident, long-term resident or special permanent resident. The Tokyo-origin condition still applies.
The prefecture's description of a maximum-class Nankai Trough earthquake says a 1-metre tsunami could reach the coast in as little as 3 minutes and that most of the coastline faces tsunami heights above 10 metres, apart from some bays. It also warns that the earthquake will not necessarily occur as assumed.
The prefecture's page, citing its 2012 assumptions, says the ground in Kochi City could subside by about 1.5 metres, leaving about 2,800 hectares of the central city flooded for a long time, and in Sukumo City by about 2.4 metres, leaving about 559 hectares flooded. The prefecture published updated predictions in 2025 based on the Cabinet Office's March 2025 estimate.
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.