OSAKA - The number of vacant homes across Japan has surpassed 9 million—roughly double the figure from 30 years ago—yet efforts to address the issue are being held back by increasingly complex inheritance cases that make resolution difficult.
Local governments have stepped up countermeasures, but inheritance has emerged as one of the biggest obstacles, as properties are often passed down through multiple generations, creating situations where dozens—or even over 100—heirs must agree before any action can be taken.
In one case tracked by officials, a single vacant property had as many as 110 heirs, meaning unanimous consent would be required for its sale or demolition, leaving authorities unable to intervene.
The situation has placed a heavy burden on municipalities, which are under pressure to respond to growing numbers of complaints related to abandoned homes, including collapsing roofs, falling debris, and overgrown vegetation. In Higashiosaka, officials receive between 300 and 400 reports annually and rely on information from nearby residents to trace ownership.
However, ownership is often unclear. In some cases, heirs are unaware the property exists, have moved overseas, or cannot be contacted, making resolution nearly impossible.
The root of the issue lies in inheritance practices. When a property owner dies, ownership is passed to spouses or children, but if heirs choose to renounce inheritance due to financial burdens—such as demolition costs exceeding the property’s value—the rights are transferred further along the family line, sometimes reaching distant relatives who have no knowledge of the property.
As a result, vacant homes become increasingly difficult to manage. Even landowners are unable to act if the building belongs to another party, and legal restrictions prevent authorities from stepping in without proper consent.
The government introduced the Vacant House Special Measures Act in 2015, allowing municipalities to demolish properties deemed dangerous. However, such cases remain limited. In Sakai, a wooden house was demolished under administrative execution after reports of structural collapse, but nearly two years later, the heirs have still not been identified, leaving the city likely to bear the demolition cost of approximately 4.5 million yen.
Officials say using taxpayer money for such actions raises concerns about fairness, especially when ownership cannot be determined.
For heirs, the burden is both financial and emotional. Takeda, a 31-year-old from Kobe, inherited a house once occupied by his grandparents, who passed away in recent years, and spent around a year and a half sorting belongings and deciding what to do with the property.
Although the home held sentimental value, maintaining it proved difficult, and the family ultimately chose to sell. The process required cooperation from relatives living far away, as well as hiring private companies to handle disposal.
Cases like this are becoming increasingly common, with more people seeking professional help to deal with inherited homes and belongings.
In some instances, individuals without direct heirs seek help before their deaths. A temple priest in Kobe assisted a childless couple in organizing their affairs and eventually took responsibility for handling the property after their passing, highlighting the growing need for support systems outside the family.
Despite the challenges, there are cases where progress has been made. In Higashiosaka, long-term engagement by officials led to one property finally being sold and demolished after years of neglect, prompted in part by stricter regulations targeting poorly maintained vacant homes.
Under revised rules introduced three years ago, municipalities can now issue warnings for “poorly managed vacant homes,” not just those at risk of collapse, and can revoke tax benefits to encourage owners to take action.
Still, officials stress that solving the vacant housing crisis will require cooperation between governments, property owners, and heirs, as well as a shared understanding of the growing complexity of inheritance in modern Japan.
