Several real estate agencies near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, including this one pictured on Feb. 11, 2026, have reported a severe shortage of available rental units. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Military and civilian personnel expecting to live outside this installation south of Tokyo may have to wait a month or more for a vacancy due to a severe shortage of military-approved housing.
Five Yokosuka rental agencies said they’re seeing shortages far outside the norm.
The shortages first became noticeable after the aircraft carrier USS George Washington relieved its predecessor, the USS Ronald Reagan, in 2024, two rental agents said.
One of Yokosuka’s larger agencies, iE.ESTATE, said its local inventory has dropped approximately 80%, from about 50 to 60 houses and apartments available in a typical season to just 10 as of Monday, according to Yokosuka branch manager Yugo Tamayama.
Tamayama said he’s never seen such a shortage in his 10-year career in real estate, he told Stars and Stripes on Monday at his office.
Smaller agencies also reported slim pickings.
Jerry Ishizuka, an agent for Smile House, and Satoru Honnami, an agent for Iino Real Estate, both said their respective agencies had no properties available for rent on Monday.
Both agencies — just a few minutes’ walk from the naval base’s main gate — have growing wait lists due to their proximity to the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet, they said.
Base housing is also at a “high occupancy rate” of between 92% and 94%, base spokesman Justin Keller told Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday. The installation is monitoring the situation closely, he wrote.
“While there could be many complex factors at play, the Kanto Plain in Japan remains a highly desirable location to live, for our Sailors, families, civilians and the local population,” he said.
All five rental agencies said the shortage was exclusive to sailors and DOD civilians.
Ishizuka and two other agents — Chris Kelly of Life Town and Nagisa Inoue of House Agency Seven — said Feb. 9 that the shortage began shortly after the George Washington arrived in November 2024.
A family of two or three previously would have expected to house hunt for one or two weeks, but Kelly said the average is now closer to one or two months.
One major factor, he said, is a recent alignment between rent prices for military-affiliated customers and Japanese citizens.
For properties to qualify as military housing, they must have certain amenities, including built-in light fixtures and appliances such as ovens or washing machines, Kelly said.
That investment once allowed homeowners to charge military customers a higher price; however, the average rent for locals has risen and now mirrors the typical price for military renters, removing the incentive to convert properties to military housing, he said.
A lack of new properties, combined with the time it takes to clean and re-inspect vacant homes, is contributing to the situation, he said.
Keller advised anyone having trouble finding a home to notify their command and consult with the base’s Housing Service Center.
“Their team can provide personalized counseling, support, and case-by-case assistance to our personnel,” he wrote.
The five rental agents, meanwhile, recommended that anyone searching for a home do their best to visit agency offices in person as much as possible.
