Japan’s Abandoned Houses: Crisis or Expat Dream? | Full Episode | SBS Dateline

As homeownership becomes increasingly expensive in many parts of the world, we travel to Japan, where millions of empty and unwanted houses, known as ‘akiya’, are being sold cheaply or given away. Can foreign buyers help solve Japan’s empty house problem?

00:00 Intro
02:29 How many empty homes are there in Japan?
03:24 Australian Jaya Thursfield shows his renovated akiya
04:35 How much has Jaya spent on his new home?
07:02 How a foreigner can buy an akiya
07:19 Meet the "akiya hunters" from Akiya & Inaka real estate consultancy
09:10 How much do akiyas cost and what's a catch?
09:59 Looking for akiyas in the Japanese countryside
10:42 Japan's vacant housing problem
11:58 Can you just claim an empty house?
13:16 What the Japanese government does to address the issue
13:39 Why the Japanese don't want akiya
16:52 How akiya consultants help the Japanese to deal with their inherited property
20:55 Why Australian Dara Robinson is looking to invest in an akiya
24:36 Do people in small towns want foreigners to move in?

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