Amongst the various trends likely to be affecting Singapore's property market in 2015 is the rise in demand for singles accommodation. The housing board recently announced there would be fewer larger flats being made available in the city. However, the continuing high demand for housing from singletons has meant this corner of the market is facing substantial growth.

The figures speak for themselves. So-called built to order flats in non-mature estates rose from 2,600 in 2013 to 5,000 units in 2014. These two bedroom properties are ideal for the single market. As well as these purpose built flats, unsold two room apartments, previously set aside for families, will now be offered to singles.

One reason for the rise in singles accommodation is the fact that in the summer of 2013, two-room flats offered to that portion of the market went way over the 30% quota limit. In Yishun, in northern Singapore, the figure was actually 51%.

The housing board further announced that it plans scaling back the supply of three room and larger flats by around 18%. This will mean a drop from last year's figure of 22,600 to around 18,600.

As well as redressing this imbalance in the demand of accommodation between singles and families, the board stated that in 2014 it would be providing 700 studio apartments. These would be aimed at seniors who were looking to achieve the optimum living conditions.

Data ingathered by the board has further revealed that built to order flats aimed exclusively at families have fallen significantly. Indeed the average first-timer application rate slipped to 1.7 times last year. By contrast, the average built to order application rate eased to 3.0 times from the 5.3 times figure recorded in 2010.

For all this re-jigging of priorities, the board looks likely to persist in its policy of prioritizing accommodation for families. At least 70% of the flats in non-mature estates will still be allocated to that particular strata of Singapore society.

Persistent deflation in the Japanese economy has had the longstanding effect of deterring small enterprise. However, now that the country is gradually slipping away from this economic constraint, everyone from business start-ups to investors are starting to make bolder decisions.

There is evidence of this optimistic approach in many areas, particularly on the high street. Take the example of hair salons. One particular entrepreneur had been toiling at an upscale shop in Tokyo's exclusive Ginza shopping disctrict for several years. Then he noticed a significant change amongst customer attitudes. Where clients had previously only ever popped into the salon every three months or so, now they were attending on a much more regular basis, sometimes every other four weeks. This was a clear indication that the economy was improving in a big way.

Similar indicators are appearing all over Japan's commercial sector. In fact, all over the country there has been a steady rise in the number of people starting up enterprises. Japan Finance Corporation, which is a government-affiliated body dedicated to financing ventures, is likely to offer more than 20,000 new business loans this year alone. This is the highest lending figure in more than eight years.

In the previously deflationary Japanese economy, aggressive price-cutting has been an effective tactic that big companies have used. This is fine when there is ample capital to spare, but that situation will change if prices increase. According to one official of Japan Finance Corporation, Atsushi Morimoto, "even entrepreneurs with limited funds can compete against big firms by offering quality products and services".

An end to Japan's lengthy period of deflation was signaled when the consumer price index rose for five successive months through October. As well as serving as an incentive for would-be entrepreneurs, the price upturn is inspiring companies to make bolder investments as opposed to pursuing more conservative financial policies.

A classic example of this new-found optimism in the Japanese market is the case of Hiday Hidaka. The Chinese restaurant chain, operating in the Tokyo area, has long been keeping aside ¥4.5 billion, as financial security. But during a shareholder meeting, when a young shareholder pointed out the company's capital efficiency was low, the decision was made by senior management to put that nest egg to more positive use. The company opened up 35 new shops and have not looked back since.

As the Chinese economy goes all out to embrace new areas of commerce, one important change looks set to produce dividends. China's major cities are all looking for innovative methods of kick-starting their various enterprise plans.

One of the prize assets any ambitious business could ask for is a decent share of international travelers. Whether they're arriving in China laden with sterling, US dollars or indeed any other currency, it goes without saying that the longer they stay in China, the more likely they are to cause dents in local retail markets. In recent times there has been a significant drive to coax these tourists into venturing outside of their usual comforts zones. In short, they are being cajoled to leave airports and begin to seriously enjoy all be fine dining and sightseeing opportunities China has to offer.

Five of the largest cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Chongging, Chengdu and Guangzhou have introduced a revolutionary visa-free policy. This means that any travelers to these respective cities will be entitled to remain there for periods of up to 72 hours – without visas. Elsewhere in the People's Republic, the city of Dalian is expected to adopt this new approach early next year.

The signs have immediately been promising. Throughout the summer, groups of tourists from as far afield as Australia and France were welcomed into these cities without visas for the very first time. It is fair to say the exercise has been a resounding success. These westerners, relishing their new-found freedom, were to be observed in numbers, sitting outside cafes sipping tea, or getting tucked into bowls of noodles.

As part of the lifting of these visa regulations, travelers must already possess travel tickets into another country, along with the other standard travel documents. In the first instance, the policy was granted to visitors from 45 nations, including Europe and the USA. This was extended last month, and now covers an additional six countries, including Singapore, Japan and Brunei (although visitors from the latter three countries were already allowed to stay without visas for upwards of 15 days).

Japan's main airline carriers face a constant struggle when vying for international routes. Local success is equally all-important. But the most significant threat these carriers are currently facing doesn't come from other companies. It is coming from ground-level.

It is the ever-evolving bullet trains, known as shinkansen, that are really causing headaches for the airline carrier marketing teams. In fact, one Japan Airlines executive officer was completely taken aback during a routine domestic route marketing trip. After taking his seat on a bullet train, the first thing Tadao Nishio noticed was there was no sign of the train rocking sideways as they were once known to do. His experience was one of dizzying speeds coupled with supreme comfort, exactly the combination that the airline carriers so desperately strive for. If Japan's travelers become familiar with fast, smooth, hassle-free train journeys, then there will be fewer of them queuing for plane tickets.

The revolution in train design is not the sole issue dreaded by the airline companies. Nozomi services have increased between Tokyo and Osaka, in the wake of the expansion of Shin-Oasaka Station this March. Bullet train networks now extend to every corner of the country, including Kyushu, Hokkaido and Hokuriku.

Evidence of the increase in the train popularity can be gauged by considering this. 10 years ago, a shinkansen shop opened in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The Nozomi service increased dramatically. 60% of the travelers on the Tokyo to Hiroshima line used to fly the route. This trend has reversed, with 60% choosing the bullet train.

A theory that is commonly used to gauge whether any traveler is liable to choose the train or the plane is a simple one. If the trip is going to be under three hours, then the train is chosen. However, with the bullet trains revving up their speed all the time, journey times are increasingly being chipped away. In March, Tohoku Shinkansen cut the Tokyo to Shin-Aomori route to under that three-hour mark.

Japan Airlines has recently seen its revenue from domestic routes easing to just 70% of their 2006 peak. This represents a loss of around ¥200 billion. Much of these losses were blamed on service cuts in the wake of the carrier's bankruptcy. But the company, perhaps grudgingly, also admit that the bullet trains have been swallowing up much of their customer base.