Short answer: In Oita, every municipality runs its own akiya bank, and the prefecture points house-hunters to its relocation portal Oita Kurashi (おおいた暮らし) and a free consultation point run with NPO Akiya Support Oita. All of it is in Japanese, so search with browser translation and the words 空き家バンク, 売買 and 賃貸. Oita's relocation fund is unusual: its page has no Tokyo-origin condition, but it does set residence-status, age or household and "lived outside the prefecture" rules. The hazards to check are the tsunami alert zones along the Bungo Channel and Suo-nada coasts and flooding and landslides of the kind seen at Hita in July 2017.
Municipal banks. The prefecture's reply on akiya bank registration (December 2023) says that all municipalities in the prefecture have established akiya bank systems and that 537 properties were put to use through them in the previous fiscal year. Its akiya consultation page describes the bank as a system in which municipalities publicise property information and support matching, and links to a page listing each municipality's bank. There is no single prefecture-wide search on those pages, so start with the town.
Consultation. The same page names NPO Akiya Support Oita as the consultation point (097-529-7114, weekdays 9:00 to 18:00, no consultation fee). It is set up mainly for people with a house to manage, but it is the one prefecture-linked contact for questions about how akiya work locally. Expect Japanese.
The relocation portal. The prefecture's relocation portal page introduces Oita Kurashi (iju-oita.jp), run by the Regional Revitalisation Division, with information on jobs, housing and municipal support. We did not see an English-language option on the pages reviewed.
National banks. At Home (akiya-athome.jp) and LIFULL HOME'S also carry participating Oita towns. Whatever the source, the listing is an introduction and the conditions are on the town's page: see our akiya bank conditions guide.
| Goal | Japanese to use |
|---|---|
| A town's bank | 大分県 [town] 空き家バンク, for example 豊後大野市, 国東市, 佐伯市 |
| Sale or rental | 売買 / 賃貸 |
| Renovation subsidy | [town] 空き家 改修 補助金 |
| Relocation fund | 大分県 移住支援金 |
| Tsunami and flood risk | ハザードマップ plus the town name |
Read the road frontage (接道), land category and the heating and water arrangements on every listing, and use the kanji red-flag guide for the rest. The agent question list is Japanese ready to paste.
The prefecture's relocation support page (updated 1 April 2026) lists ¥1,000,000 for a household of two or more and ¥600,000 for a single person, with municipal add-ons for child-rearing families. Unlike most prefectures we reviewed, the page has no Tokyo-origin condition. The origin rule it states is that, immediately before you transfer your resident registration, you lived continuously outside the prefecture for at least a year. For moves from outside the Tokyo area, the page says that since 1 October 2025 support goes to applicants who are 39 or under on 1 April of the application year, or to child-rearing households with a member under 18 coming along. You also need a job posted on Oita Job Navi or a professional-talent matching route, must apply within a year of moving and intend to stay five years; full repayment applies if you move away within three years, half between three and five years.
The page also says applicants must be Japanese, or foreign nationals with the status 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). The page does not say whether someone arriving from abroad counts as having lived "outside the prefecture", and it states that municipalities differ on whether they run the scheme and on requirements and amounts. Ask the destination town in writing before you rely on it. The national framework is on the Cabinet Office page.
Comparing a coastal Oita house with one inland? 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 tsunami disaster alert zone page says zones were designated on 31 March 2023 for Saiki, Usuki and Tsukumi, and on 28 November 2023 for Beppu, Nakatsu, Bungo-Takada, Kitsuki, Usa, Kunisaki, Himeshima and Hiji. They are based on the maximum-class tsunami assumption the prefecture set in March 2014. The page notes that there are no construction restrictions inside the zones, that areas outside them can still flood because of ground irregularities and buildings, and that real estate transactions require disclosure under the building lots and buildings transaction law (a point worth asking the agent about: see our important matters explanation guide).
A separate prefectural map for the Nankai Trough scenario (page dated 17 March 2020) looks at areas where 30 cm or more of water arrives within 30 minutes of the quake. It names only Saiki City (the Tsurumi, Yonouzu and Kamae districts) as having houses in that situation, and eight municipalities (Oita, Usuki, Tsukumi, Bungo-Takada, Kitsuki, Usa, Himeshima and Hiji) as having flooding of buildings other than houses. Use the detailed PDF maps for the specific address.
The Cabinet Office's report on the July 2017 northern Kyushu heavy rain says 24-hour rainfall at Asakura in Fukuoka and Hita in Oita set records for the observation history, and that the disaster relief law was applied. For a river-valley or mountain akiya in the Hita area, check the flood and landslide layers on the national hazard map, ask whether the house or lot was affected, and for slope lots read the retaining wall guide.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 normals count 3.8 typhoon approaches a year for northern Kyushu against 5.8 for the Japanese mainland as a whole (JMA). Treat roof and window condition as a normal inspection item (inspection guide).
According to a prefectural reply dated December 2023, all municipalities in Oita have established akiya bank systems, and 537 properties were put to use through akiya banks in the previous fiscal year. Each bank is run by its municipality, and the pages are in Japanese.
The prefecture's akiya consultation page names NPO Akiya Support Oita as the consultation point, with no consultation fee, open 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays (097-529-7114). It is set up mainly for owners, but it links to each municipality's akiya bank information.
Not in the prefecture's page: the origin condition is a move from outside Oita after living outside the prefecture for at least a year. For moves from outside the Tokyo area, the page since 1 October 2025 limits support to applicants aged 39 or under on 1 April of the application year, or child-rearing households with a member under 18. It also lists accepted residence statuses for foreign nationals, and municipalities differ on amounts and requirements.
The prefecture designated tsunami disaster alert zones on 31 March 2023 for Saiki, Usuki and Tsukumi, and on 28 November 2023 for Beppu, Nakatsu, Bungo-Takada, Kitsuki, Usa, Kunisaki, Himeshima and Hiji. They are based on the maximum-class tsunami assumption set in March 2014, and areas outside the zones can still flood.
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.