Japan cracks down on bad-faith buyers as temple, shrine sales surge

Buddhist monk Benmou Suzuki looks at the Mikaboyama Fudoson temple in Fujioka, Gunma prefecture, Japan, Sept. 4, 2024. Mikaboyama Fudoson temple is pictured in Fujioka, Gunma prefecture, Japan, Sept. 4, 2024.

Benmou Suzuki's dilapidated 420-year-old temple, located deep in the forest near a tiny Japanese mountain village, hardly looks like prized real estate.