Japan Inc says goodbye downtown, hello suburbs in post-pandemic era

Central Tokyo sees largest vacancy rate increase in a decade

Businesses are shedding empty office space as employees continue to work from home. (Photo by Mamoru Yago)

YOSHIHIRO HARA and HIROYASU ODA, Nikkei staff writers

July 11, 2020 19:09 JST

TOKYO -- Corporations headquartered in Tokyo have started to cut down on empty office space as businesses prepare for the new normal in a post-pandemic world.

This trend has caused a stark reversal of historically low office vacancies in the capital's downtown area. Instead, employers have opened offices outside the city to bring work closer to home.