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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Gavin Blair in Tokyo

Akiya houses: why Japan has nine million empty homes

An abandoned akiya house is pictured in a small village in Miyoshi, Japan
Abandoned akiya house in a small village in Miyoshi, Japan. Figures released this week show the number of vacant houses in Japan has topped 9m. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

As the declining population continues to impact Japan’s society and economy, the number of vacant houses has topped nine million – enough to accommodate the entire population of Australia at three people per dwelling.

Government figures released on Tuesday show the number of empty houses, known as akiya, as of October 2023 was up by more than half a million since the previous survey in 2018.

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