Short answer: Tokushima has a prefecture-level akiya bank, the Tokushima Kaiki (「とくしま回帰」) akiya information bank, plus separate banks run by individual municipalities. All of it is in Japanese; the prefecture's relocation site did not show an English option on the pages reviewed. You search with browser translation and the words 空き家バンク, 売買 (sale) and 賃貸 (rental). Relocation money exists on paper, but it is tied to living and working in the Tokyo or Osaka areas beforehand. The hazard that shapes coastal Tokushima is the Nankai Trough tsunami, for which the prefecture published new inundation maps in September 2025 and alert zones in March 2026.
The prefecture-level bank. The prefecture's relocation site, run by the Tokushima Relocation and Exchange Promotion Center (とくしま移住交流促進センター, 5th floor of the prefectural office), sends akiya searchers to tokushima-akiya.jp. Its housing page describes it as the prefecture's akiya information bank. The bank is operated by the Tokushima Kaiki Housing Support Center, which the prefecture commissioned in January 2016 and which sits inside the Tokushima Housing Supply Corporation. The site says the governor runs a registration system for specialists, including coordinators and certified inspectors, "for the purpose of safe transactions".
Municipal banks. The same housing page groups municipal banks by area: Naruto, Awa, Yoshinogawa, Kamiita and Katsuura in the east; Kaiyo in the south; Mima, Miyoshi and Tsurugi in the west. It also recommends a trial-stay house (お試住宅) before relocating, where you can try self-catering and waste sorting. A free-call relocation line, 0120-109-407, answers on weekdays 10:00 to 17:00; expect Japanese.
National banks. The nationwide banks run by At Home (akiya-athome.jp) and LIFULL HOME'S also list akiya from participating towns. Whatever the source, the listing is an introduction: the conditions are on the municipality's page, as described in our akiya bank conditions guide.
| Goal | Japanese to use |
|---|---|
| Prefecture-level listings | 徳島県 空き家バンク, or go to tokushima-akiya.jp directly |
| Sale or rental | 売買 / 賃貸 |
| A town's own bank | [town] 空き家バンク, for example 美馬市, 三好市, 海陽町 |
| Renovation or demolition subsidy | [town] 空き家 改修 補助金 / 除却 補助金 |
| Tsunami and landslide risk | ハザードマップ plus the town name |
Read the land category, road frontage (接道) and 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 Tokushima Wakuwaku relocation scheme page for people coming from the Tokyo area lists ¥600,000 for a single person, ¥1,000,000 for a household and up to ¥1,000,000 more per child under 18 (the child amount varies by municipality). The origin condition follows the national scheme (Cabinet Office): five of the previous ten years in the Tokyo 23 wards, or living elsewhere in the Tokyo area and commuting to them, with at least one continuous year in the 23 wards immediately before the move. You also need a qualifying job, remote work, "related population" status or a prefecturally approved start-up, apply within a year of moving and intend to stay five years. For fiscal 2026 the page says the scheme applies to all municipalities in the prefecture, and it notes that the payment is subject to income tax and resident tax.
A separate "Plus" scheme for the Osaka area lists ¥300,000 single and ¥500,000 for a household, with up to ¥500,000 per minor, on a similar five-of-ten-years residence logic. None of the pages reviewed mention nationality, and a buyer coming from overseas would not meet the origin conditions as written. Ask the town in writing.
On renovation and demolition, the prefecture's summary of municipal akiya support (April 2026 status) says all 24 municipalities, 8 cities and 16 towns and villages, have a demolition subsidy for dangerous akiya, and most have a reuse subsidy; Matsushige, Aizumi and Itano are listed as having none for reuse. The page gives no amounts or rates. Ask each town three questions: must the house be registered on the akiya bank, must I live there, and must I use a local contractor?
Comparing a coastal Tokushima house with 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 tsunami inundation assumption page says new maps were published on 12 September 2025, based on the Cabinet Office's March 2025 Nankai Trough estimate and updated topographic data. They describe a maximum-class event with an extremely low occurrence frequency. The prefecture warns that inundation extent and depth can differ with local terrain, buildings and ground changes, and that the largest depths may come with the second wave or later. Tsunami disaster alert zones (yellow zones) were designated in March 2026. A separate damage assumption published on 4 February 2026 says explicitly that it does not estimate damage to individual buildings. All of these are viewable in the prefecture's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Map. For a low lot near the sea or a river mouth, read the map for the address, then compare it with the national layer in our hazard map guide and work out the walking route to high ground.
The prefecture's landslide warning zone page publishes a designation status table (status as of 31 March 2026) and says the zones can be confirmed at the local Civil Engineering Office or the Sabo Disaster Prevention Division. Its online flood and sediment information map is at dmap.pref.tokushima.lg.jp. For hillside lots in valley towns, also read the retaining wall 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 as a whole (JMA); an approach means the centre passes within 300 km of a weather station. Treat roof, windows and drainage as a normal inspection item (inspection guide).
Yes. The prefecture's relocation site points to the Tokushima Kaiki akiya information bank (tokushima-akiya.jp), run by the Tokushima Kaiki Housing Support Center, which opened in January 2016 inside the Tokushima Housing Supply Corporation under a prefectural commission. Several municipalities also run their own banks. The pages are in Japanese.
The prefecture's Tokyo-area scheme lists ¥600,000 for a single person, ¥1,000,000 for a household and up to ¥1,000,000 per child under 18, applying to municipalities across the prefecture in fiscal 2026. A separate Osaka-area scheme lists ¥300,000 single and ¥500,000 for a household. Both are based on where you lived and worked before moving, so a buyer arriving from overseas would not meet them as written.
The prefecture's April 2026 summary says all 24 municipalities have a demolition subsidy and most have a reuse subsidy, with Matsushige, Aizumi and Itano listed as having no reuse programme. It gives no amounts, so ask each town.
The prefecture's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Map shows the tsunami inundation assumption published on 12 September 2025, based on the Cabinet Office's March 2025 Nankai Trough estimate, and the tsunami alert zones designated in March 2026. The prefecture notes the largest depths may come with the second wave or later.
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.