Which LEED categories challenge Japanese real estate?

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a widely adopted international green building rating system used to evaluate sustainability in design, construction, and operation. Japan's LEED certification landscape has expanded steadily, with 377 certified projects, including 162 for Interior Design and Construction (ID+C) and 139 for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) as of end-2025. However, our analysis of publicly available project scores reveals specific areas where Japanese projects generally underperform compared to international benchmarks.

For Building Design and Construction (BD+C): New Construction v4 (certification for newly constructed properties), JLL compared the scoring of 20 Japanese projects with 2,931 projects across 15 leading LEED markets¹. Japanese projects scored higher than the average scoring of other 15 global markets for most categories, yet fell short in Materials & Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality. For both categories, the underlying issue was the disclosure. For the former, the issue was the disclosure regarding ‘Building Product’, while for the latter, it was the insufficient disclosure of ‘Low-Emitting Materials’.

Figure 1: Scoring rate for BD+C: New construction, v4

Source: JLL Japan Research, February 2026

Figure 2: Scoring rate for Indoor Environmental Quality of LEED BD+C: New Construction, v4

Source: JLL Japan Research, February 2026

Similarly, for ID+C: Commercial Interiors v4 (certification for commercial space), comparison of 26 Japanese projects against 2,697 from 13 markets² reveals Japan underperforming in Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, as well as Water Efficiency. The water efficiency challenge likely stems from Grade-A office occupiers' difficulty in reducing water flow, which requires consent from both owners and other tenants.

For BD+C: Warehouses and Distribution Centers v4, comparing 16 Japanese projects with 729 from six countries³ shows Japan lagging in Sustainable Sites alongside the familiar challenges in Materials & Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality. Within Sustainable Sites, most projects scored zero points in almost all categories except Site Assessment, primarily reflecting the difficulty of securing green space in the vicinity.

For ID+C: Retail v4, JLL compared the average scores of 25 Japanese projects against those of 5,578 projects from 13 markets⁴. Japan scored below average in Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Integrative Process. Notably, 23 out of 25 projects scored zero points in Long-term Commitment within Materials & Resources, reflecting Japanese commercial practices where lease terms rarely exceed 10 years for commercial facility tenants.

While it is ideal for LEED certification to be the natural outcome of advancing real estate sustainability, owners and tenants with the immediate objective of obtaining a Gold or Platinum rating can take an effective approach. This involves focusing on categories in which Japanese properties can generally excel and accumulate higher scores in those areas.

_{[1] Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States}

_{[2] Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States}

_{[3] Brazil, China, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United States}

_{[4] Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States}