The estimated number of vacant homes in Japan reached 9 million on October 1 last year, a record high, an Interior Ministry survey showed on Tuesday.
The preliminary figure is up by 510,000 from 2018, when the previous survey was conducted, and doubled from 4.48 million in 1993.
Meanwhile, the total number of homes has increased by 2.61 million to 65.02 million compared to 2018.
Vacant homes accounted for 13.8% of the total, also a record high.
As the main reason for the rising number of vacant homes, the Ministry’s Bureau of Statistics points to an increase in the number of cases in which the homes of single elderly people become vacant after they die or move to care institutions.
Of the vacant homes, 3.85 million were for no specific purpose, including for rental or sale or as a second home, an increase of 370,000. They accounted for 42.8% of the total number of vacant homes and have been steadily increasing since 2003, when the share was 32.1%.
The share of vacant homes was highest in Wakayama and Tokushima prefectures, both at 21.2%. Yamanashi Prefecture followed with 20.5%, partly because there are many second homes in the prefecture, which borders Tokyo.
In terms of vacant, non-use homes, Kagoshima Prefecture had the largest share of such homes at 13.6%. Next came Kochi Prefecture with 12.9%, followed by Tokushima and Ehime Prefectures, both with 12.2%. Shares were likely higher in western Japan.
The survey has been conducted every five years since 1948.
This time, the ministry surveyed 3.4 million homes and households to provide estimates across the country. This only concerned homes where people can live. Dilapidated buildings that were in danger of collapsing were not investigated.
