Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Super-aged Japan now has 9 million vacant homes. And that’s a problem
The population of Japan has been declining consistently since 2011. As
the number of newborns declines, the country is losing several hundred thousand
residents each year. There were only 753,000 babies were born last year while nearly
160,000 died. As a result, there were 126.3 million residents back in 2020, but
there are only 124.0 million as of April this year. Also, Japan is the world’s most-aged
country, with 30% of the population being 65 years or older and around 10% being
80 years or older. As people age, it becomes difficult to live in a house by
themselves, and those who have a chance move to care houses. When the sole
resident of a house dies, the property is inherited by their descendants if any,
but if the house is too old, badly maintained, and/or inconveniently located to
live in or sell, the property is abandoned. According to recent government stats,
there are as many as nine million such vacant homes in Japan. In some regions,
over 20% of the houses are unlived. These abandoned houses are troublesome to
the local community as they become potential risks and hazards in case of
disaster or emergency. Also, they could undermine the property value of the neighborhood.
Since most Japanese value newer houses, the number of such vacant houses is
expected to rise. It sounds like Japan is building more houses while increasing
the dead inventory.
Read the article and learn about the housing problem in a country where
its population is shrinking.
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