AkiyaHub Certifies Its First Home Stewards for Non-Resident Homeowners in Japan

Certified Japanese companies provide a single local contact to oversee utilities, mail, and scheduled home checks for homes in Japan that sit empty between visits.

Tokyo, Japan--(Newsfile Corp. - August 25, 2026) - AkiyaHub has certified the first group of Japanese companies under its Home Stewardship standard, giving people who own a home in Japan but live elsewhere a single local company that can get the home operational, manage ongoing needs, and make sure it is cared for while they are away.

AkiyaHub Certifies Its First Home Stewards for Non-Resident Homeowners in Japan

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Japan counted a record nine million vacant dwellings in its 2023 Housing and Land Survey. A weak yen and steady global interest in akiya have made it easier to buy a house in Japan than to look after one from abroad. Utility accounts often require a person in the country, tax notices arrive by post, and contractors need someone to open the door. After guiding thousands of members through the buying journey, AkiyaHub found that the harder problem starts once the keys change hands.

AkiyaHub has defined the operating standards, prepares and certifies participating companies, and maintains the online platform they use with homeowners, while the on-the-ground work remains with each Steward in their local community.

"Our Japanese partners already carried the weight of this work for non-resident homeowners," said Brett Lee, CEO and Co-Founder of AkiyaHub. "We had a choice: build a national in-house service team, or back the partners already doing it. We chose our partners. We connect them with the homeowners who need them and give them a clear standard and shared tools, so they can grow their businesses, hire locally, and strengthen the economies around them."

The first certified Home Stewards are already working with members of an AkiyaHub community of more than 50,000 people across 72 countries. Certification will widen prefecture by prefecture as more local companies meet the standard.

For Kintsugi Group GK, the company behind AkiyaHub, the measure is simple: a house with someone looking after it is a house that stays part of its community rather than joining the vacancy count.

About AkiyaHub

AkiyaHub is an English-first platform that helps people who love Japan become informed and respectful homeowners there. Operated by Kintsugi Group GK, a Japanese company registered in Tokyo, it combines tools, education, and a Japan-based bilingual team that coordinates a vetted network of more than 300 local professionals. Its mission is to keep more homes and regional communities in Japan cared for instead of abandoned.

Contact Info:
Name: Brett Lee
Email: [email protected]
Organization: AkiyaHub
Website: https://akiyahub.com

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