168_日本の空き家ブーム_A Boom in Japan’s Vacant House Market (Akiya)

みなさんはどんな家に住んでいますか？家族と一軒家に住んでいたり、友達とルームシェアをしていたり、一人でワンルームに住んでいたり…さて、日本では最近、人口減少に伴って、たくさんの家が空き家になってきています。今日は、そんな日本の空き家をとりまく状況と、その解決の一手になるかもしれない潮流について話します。

まずは、日本の住宅の状況についてです。人口がどんどん減っている日本では、全国で空き家問題が深刻になっています。空き家は一般的に、地方の過疎地にあったり大幅に改修しなければならなかったりして、市場価値は決して高くありません。日本人は古い家に住みたがらないので、買い手がつかないことが多いんです。また、高齢化によって、持ち主がいなくなって処分に困っている家も増えています。2033年頃には空き家数2,150万戸、なんと全住宅の3戸に1戸が空き家になってしまうという民間予測もあるほどです。

でも、この問題の救世主になってくれそうなのが、外国人です。ここ数年、外国人コミュニティの間で日本の空き家への関心が高まっていて、たくさんの人が空き家を購入しているようです。理由はいくつかあります。例えば、円安も追い風になって、彼らの国と比べて割安で購入できること。それから、 日本人と外国人の空き家に対する考え方の違いも影響しています。日本人はどちらかというと空き家を「負債」だと思うのに対して、外国人は古い家がいやだという感覚がない人が多いようです。また、彼らにとっては広大な土地と美しい日本の田舎風景、地域の繋がりなどが魅力的に映るようです。買った家をどうするかというと、DIYをして自分で住んだり、airBnBなどで民泊として貸し出すケースもあるそうです。

よい条件の空き家を見つけるにはコツが必要そうですが、日本に住みたいと思っているひとにとっては魅力的なトレンドですね。

In what type of house are you living? Maybe you live with your family in a detached house, or maybe you are sharing a house with friends, or maybe you live by yourself in a studio. Recently, the decrease in the population of Japan has also resulted in many houses becoming vacant. Today I would like to share with you about the situation regarding Japan’s vacant houses as well as about a recent trend which might be a possible solution to this problem.

Let’s first talk about the housing situation in Japan. With the rapid decrease of Japan’s population, vacant houses have become a serious problem. In general, since vacant houses are usually in rural depopulated regions and in need of major restoration, their market value will not be high. It is often difficult to find a buyer, as Japanese do not like living in old houses. With Japan’s ageing population the number of houses without any owners is increasing and this hampers the sales process. Some non-official projections indicate that by 2033 around 21.5 million houses, or 1 out of every 3 houses, will be vacant.

However, the saviours of these vacant houses seem to be none other than foreigners. During these past few years the foreign community has been showing an increasing interest in vacant houses in Japan and many foreigners have purchased these houses. There are many reasons for this interest. One reason seems to be the weak yen that gives foreigners the opportunity to buy houses comparatively cheaper than in their home countries. The difference in how foreigners and Japanese view vacant houses also seem to have an influence. Japanese tend to think of vacant houses as a liability, while foreigners usually have a positive attitude towards old houses. Foreigners are also enchanted by the open and beautiful landscapes of the countryside as well as the close-knit connections of rural life. After buying these houses, foreigners could either do some DIY reforms and live in it themselves, or they can rent it out as a vacation rental or Airbnb.

You probably need some know-how if you want to discover a vacant house in good condition, but for those who would like to live in Japan it seems like a very attractive opportunity.