In Japan, 8.46 million homes lie empty, and number only set to rise
- With the vast majority of people choosing to live in cities, disused derelict houses are increasingly becoming eyesores in suburban and country areas
When Mitsue Nagasaku was a child, the three small flats in front of her parents’ home in the Negishi district of Yokohama were occupied, and the owner of the largest could often be seen tending the vegetables in her garden.
The last of the three residents died about a decade ago, and the flats – despite being in a desirable district with direct railway links to central Tokyo – have since remained empty.
While other old houses have been pulled down and new homes have sprung up, these three have slowly fallen into disrepair. Creeping vines can be seen on the inside of the grimy windows, metal roofing sheets have come loose, and the postman has long given up putting circulars in the rusty letterbox.
According to a report by the Japanese government, 8.46 million homes lie empty across the country, about 260,000 more than in a previous survey conducted in 2013. The latest figure accounts for 13.6 per cent of Japan’s total housing stock.
Of those empty, 4.99 million properties are still registered with local authorities as residences, and the owners say they plan to redevelop the sites or sell in the future. But the remaining 3.47 million have simply been abandoned, and that figure is up a steep 9.7 per cent since the previous study.