Japan’s US$1.3 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund has added three members to its investment committee, which is expected to have greater authority than before.

The US$179.8 billion Malaysian Employees Provident Fund has increased its allocation to real estate and infrastructure by approximately US$1.8 billion and invested an additional US$7.7 billion in overseas markets — US$783 million of which is invested in global property — according to its annual report.

In two unrelated office deals, Japanese companies are looking for value in the US property market through the buying and selling of trophy buildings.

Accelerating an upward trajectory that began in February, the Asia Pacific region posted a third consecutive month of positive returns in April, up 3.3 percent. 

Across the entire investment spectrum, there is always cooperation and synergy — yet also tension — among those with money, those who manage the money and those who operate on the money. 

While Tokyo shares many of the same features as cities such as London and New York City, joining them as one of the world's most cosmopolitan and internationally important cities, it has not emerged as an international residential destination in quite the same way as those cities. But Tokyo's residential sector is about to do so, and in a big way.