The government of Japan just published a survey that shows that in the country there are around nine million empty houses, unused, those known as “akiya” (unoccupied houses).
Over the last 30 years, their number has doubled and the latest report reflects that in autumn there were already 510,000 more than in 2018, when the previous census was carried out.
The cause of this situation is mainly due to the Japan’s demographic crisis. The country is losing population and also aging.
There are estimates that already speak of At the end of this century, around 53 million people will live in Japan, which would be less than half of the 128 million in 2017.
The problem is that in Japan this type of unused construction is increasing at a huge level and has become so entrenched that it is an issue that has forced measures to be activated to stop the trend.
Japanese authorities indicate that “13.8% of all homes in Japan are unoccupied”
In the last updated census of empty houses, Japanese authorities indicate that “13.8% of all homes in Japan are unoccupied.”
The data from the Japanese Ministry of the Interior also allows us to take a look at the situation in which these empty buildings are found: of the around nine million, just over half, 4.76, would be for rent or for sale and 380,000 are They would correspond to vacation residences or constructions that are given seasonal or occasional use.
The nine million uninhabited houses are many more than there were in 2018, which was when the previous census was carried out. Then there were 8.49 million, so the residence pool akiyas increased by 510,000 properties in just six years.
The Asashi Newspaper specifies that the number of empty homes has been increasing since 1973 and has ended up doubling in just three decades. In some parts of the country, such as Wakayama and Tokushima, the unemployment rate reaches 21.2%.
