Japanese real estate investment in Canadian cities and regions, 1985-1993

The location and type of Japanese property investments in Canada are examined as a case study of the increasing globalization of property markets and the remarkable rise of Japanese international investors in the late 1980s. Unpublished official statistics and company interviews indicate investment patterns had uneven implications for Canada's cities and regions. Even though Toronto is often seen as Canada's world city, Japanese investors as a whole overlooked the commercial potential of its property markets. The majority of their real estate in vestments took advantage of Japanese tourism growth in Pacific Canada and were associated with hotels and golf courses in Vancouver and its surrounding region. The author stresses the importance of Japanese perceptions, as well as local opportunities and constraints, in shaping the geography of japanese real estate investment in Canada.