According to an Insider report, the Japan Land and Housing Survey, conducted every five years, recorded a record 8.49 million akiya in Japan in 2018. Many of these houses were left empty after the death of relatives or when people moved. The 2018 survey found a 3.2% increase in the number of akiya compared to 2013.
The report also indicated that 13.6% of Japan’s 62.42 million households were unoccupied. This trend was most pronounced in the prefectures of Wakayama, Tokushima, Kagoshima and Kochi, with home vacancy rates of more than 18%.
It should be taken into account that Japan has the highest proportion of the elderly in the world, with 28.7% of the total population. The country is experiencing a “super-aged” society in both rural and urban areas. The country is also home to a record 80,000 centenarians. By 2036, people 65 and older will make up one-third of the population. Since 2011, the Japanese population has also shrunk.
The municipal governments solution
To counteract the effect of these demographic trends, cities like Tochigi and Nagano have “akiya banks.” They are websites developed by city or municipal governments that list abandoned houses, some available for as little as 50,000 yen, the equivalent of $ 455.
The city of Okutama in western Tokyo even gives away old, empty buildings for free, and some new residents have found creative ways to repurpose them, turning them into workshops and restaurants.
Posted on en.finance.yahoo.com
Source From: Ambito
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