Japan is more land constrained than the US. That's why rent is higher. It has a much less developed construction tradition than the US, which inherited its cons

Japan is more land constrained than the US. That's why rent is higher. It has a much less developed construction tradition than the US, which inherited its construction technology from Europe. More importantly Japan focused much less on durable constuction during the Middle Ages, and instead focused on building types that could be quickly repaired and rebuilt. That tradition carried over to the present, while the US benefited from the European building tradition of more durable construction.