Yeah... when I thought "furniture", I wasn't thinking of kitchen appliances. My current place has built-in stove, dishwasher, and a cheap-ass washer/dryer pair that I wish had not come with the place. We already had a refrigerator.

In California (where I lived the longest before Japan), I always thought it depended more on whether the previous owners wanted to keep their appliances or not. They are pretty expensive to move compared to other stuff. When I moved out of the company-provided place I was in for the first couple years here, we negotiated with the landlord to simply leave the refrigerator in place for the next tenant. For all I know, it could still be there.

But, in general, movable appliances don't seem to come with unfurnished apartments here. Maybe it's a cultural/expectation thing.