Number of unoccupied homes in Japan hits record 9 million due to deaths of elderly people living alone

The number of vacant homes in Japan reached a new record of 9 million in 2023, 510,000 more than the previous survey in 2018, amid a rise in deaths among elderly single homeowners, according to government data published on Tuesday, reports Agerpres.

The number of unoccupied houses on October 1 represents 13.8% of all houses in the country, also a record level. That means about one in seven houses is abandoned, according to Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The increase in the number of vacant homes can be attributed to cases where properties are abandoned following the death of single elderly residents or their relocation to care centers, while people who inherit properties choose to live in more convenient areas, according to the ministry.

The latest figure puts more pressure on central and local governments to take action to demolish or re-use these uninhabited properties, as leaving them in their current state could increase the risk of buildings collapsing, leading to a reduction in public safety in the respective areas.

Progress has been slow in demolishing such houses, in part because of the difficulty in identifying their rightful owners.

The number of vacant houses in Japan amounted to 1.72 million in 1973, representing 5.5% of the total number of houses. The figure rose to 4.48 million in 1993 and has doubled in the last 30 years, according to ministry data.

Of the 9 million unoccupied homes, the majority, namely 4.43 million, are available for rent, with 330,000 for sale, while the number of empty secondary homes, such as vacation homes, stands at 380,000, according to the data. The situation of the other 3.85 million homes is unknown.

Japan’s total number of dwellings rose by 2.61 million to 65.02 million, according to the survey, and occupied homes rose by 2.03 million to 55.65 million, reflecting an increase in the number of single-person households, even if the population is decreasing.

The housing survey in Japan has been conducted every five years since 1948.