Land price report sends mixed signals / Stagnant incomes, inconvenient locations holding down increases in some areas : Business : DAILY YOMIURI ONLIN

Land price report sends mixed signals / Stagnant incomes, inconvenient locations holding down increases in some areas : Business : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri): "Land price report sends mixed signals / Stagnant incomes, inconvenient locations holding down increases in some areas Tsuyoshi Ito Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer The government's report on average residential and commercial land prices released Wednesday shows the land price rises that started in major metropolitan areas have now spread further afield. In some prime locations in Tokyo, there are transactions far exceeding average prices, prompting concerns among some real estate analysts that the market may be overheating in some areas. However, these concerns contrast with the expectations of some observers that the recent credit squeeze in international financial markets, caused by the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis, could cloud sentiment among foreign investors who have been facilitating investment in the real estate market. In some cases demand has not matched escalating land prices. Observers say the mixed news makes it difficult to predict the future direction of land prices. On the recent holiday weekend ended Monday, the upscale Chuo-dori avenue in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district was crowded with shoppers. General food retailer Meidi-ya Co.'s Ginza Building is located on the street. The benchmark land price for the plot was 83.49 m"