Former JR Kyushu Headquarters Building in Mojiko To Be Converted Into Hotel by Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate-Led Group

Moji Chikko Consortium, with Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate as its representative company, signed a partnership agreement with Kitakyushu City on November 6, 2026, for the Former JR Kyushu Headquarters Building Utilization Project. The consortium will renovate the former JR Kyushu Headquarters Building in Nishikaigan 1-chome, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, into a mixed-use facility centered on a hotel with 97 rooms. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2028, with opening targeted for January 2030.

Within the consortium, Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate is responsible for overall project management and real estate development, Staple for hotel planning, development and operation, Matsuda Hirata Design for design and supervision, and YMFG ZONE Planning for finance and regional collaboration. Kyushu Railway Company is also expected to participate as a cooperating company.

The consortium was selected as the preferred negotiating party in a public tender by Kitakyushu City in March 2026. The tender required the building to be sold as is, and the purchase price proposed by the consortium was approximately JPY 93.07 million (including tax), the same as the minimum sale price set by the city. There were two applicants.

The building is a one-minute walk from Mojiko Station on the JR Kagoshima Main Line. Completed in 1937 as the Moji Branch of Mitsui & Co., it has six floors above ground and one below, with a gross floor area of approximately 1,705 tsubo (approx. 60,700 sq. ft.). After being used as a base for Japanese National Railways and JR Kyushu, it was acquired by Kitakyushu City in 2005 but had not been put to full use. The building is a component cultural property of the Japan Heritage Kanmon "Nostalgic" Straits, and the tender in principle did not permit demolition or changes to the design of its distinctive exterior.

Under the plan, the first floor will house a restaurant, cafe, retail and reception connected to the station plaza, the second to sixth floors will house guest rooms, and the rooftop will have a bar and sauna. The exterior will be restored and repaired with a focus on its original design at the time of completion. Design and supervision will be handled by Matsuda Hirata Design, which was founded by Gumpei Matsuda, the architect who designed the building.

Key Facts

• Project Name: Former JR Kyushu Headquarters Building Utilization Project
• Building Name: Former JR Kyushu Headquarters Building (former Mitsui & Co. Moji Branch)
• Project Operator: Moji Chikko Consortium (representative company: Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate Co., Ltd. / member companies: Staple Inc., Matsuda Hirata Design Inc., YMFG ZONE Planning Co., Ltd.)
• Cooperating Company: Kyushu Railway Company (expected to participate)
• Location: 1-6-2 Nishikaigan, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture
• Nearest Station(s): One-minute walk from Mojiko Station on the JR Kagoshima Main Line
• Completion: 1937
• Construction Start: June 2028 (scheduled)
• Opening: January 2030 (scheduled)
• Number of Floors: 6F / B1F (steel-reinforced concrete construction)
• Area: Site area of approximately 400 tsubo (approx. 14,200 sq. ft.) / Gross Floor Area of approximately 1,705 tsubo (approx. 60,700 sq. ft.)
• Use: Hotel (97 rooms), restaurant and retail
• Ancillary Facilities: Rooftop spa (bar, sauna, biotope)
• Design and Supervision: Matsuda Hirata Design Inc.
• Proposed Purchase Price: JPY 93,065,263 (including tax)