How long does opening a Tokyo office take?

4–8 months from kickoff to lease execution for a 5,000–25,000 sqft requirement, plus 12–20 weeks of fit-out.

Plan 4–8 months end-to-end: 4 weeks scoping, 6–10 weeks shortlist and tours, 6–10 weeks LOI and lease negotiation, then 12–20 weeks fit-out before first occupancy.

End-to-end timeline: 4–8 months for a 5,000–25,000 sqft requirement.
Engage tenant rep first — never the landlord's listing agent as your only adviser.
Lock the spec and budget before tours, not after.
Negotiate expansion options early in the LOI — they're cheap when nobody is asking.

Tokyo expansion checklist

Plan 4–8 months end-to-end: 4 weeks scoping, 6–10 weeks shortlist and tours, 6–10 weeks LOI and lease negotiation, then 12–20 weeks fit-out">fit-out before first occupancy.

TL;DR

End-to-end timeline: 4–8 months for a 5,000–25,000 sqft requirement.
Engage tenant rep first — never the landlord's listing agent as your only adviser.
Lock the spec and budget before tours, not after.
Negotiate expansion options early in the LOI — they're cheap when nobody is asking.

Pre-search

1. Define occupancy economics in a spreadsheet first. 2. Lock the headcount and work-style assumptions. 3. Use the Office Space Calculator to size the requirement. 4. Identify the corporate entity, signatories, and credit support strategy.

Search and shortlist

5. Engage a tenant-rep broker who has worked Tokyo for 5+ years. 6. Tour 8–12 buildings; shortlist 3–5. 7. Demand a side-by-side that compares all candidates on identical assumptions.

LOI and lease

8. Issue LOI with the full economic package — base rent, free rent, TI, escalations, options. 9. Negotiate to lease in 6–10 weeks. 10. Coordinate with local counsel on regional-specific provisions. Tokyo leases are typically 5-7 years with a 2-year tenant notice. Standard leases are 'fixed-term' (teiki shakuya) or 'ordinary' (futsu shakuya) — fixed-term is increasingly common for Grade A. Rent is base + common-area maintenance billed separately. Restoration to original (genjo kaifuku) is contractual and significant. Personal seal (jitsuin) requirements apply.

Fit-out and move-in

11. Run procurement in parallel with lease negotiation where possible. 12. Tie rent commencement to construction completion on heavy fit-outs. 13. Plan a 4-week ramp-up before peak occupancy.

Key facts

city	Tokyo
country	Japan
region	APAC
classARentLocal	50000 JPY/sqft/yr
classARentUsd	$113/sqft/yr
vacancy	4.6%
typicalLeaseYears	5
typicalRentFreeMonths	4
submarkets	6
primeYieldPct	3%

Frequently asked questions

How long does opening a Tokyo office take?: 4–8 months from kickoff to lease execution for a 5,000–25,000 sqft requirement, plus 12–20 weeks of fit-out.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Kenji Watanabe — APAC contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
JLL Office Insight — JLL
Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
Savills World Research — Savills
Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

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