As everyone knows, Japan has an unmanageable surplus of vacant housing. According to the latest government surveys there are more than 8 million unoccupied houses and apartment units in Japan and that number will increase to the point where one in four or five residences will be empty by 2030. The ...
A reader writes to Lifelines about Japan's recently introduced inheritance tax law, which he calls "one of the most punitive ...
A reader writes in about the possibility of coming to Japan as a house sitter.
If the U.S. had Ann Landers and Dear Abby, and Britain had Marge Proops, then Japan had Jean Pearce — someone who transcended the title of "columnist" and became a media icon for generations of readers.
Until the postwar growth period, the majority of Japanese rented rather than owned the places where they lived, but renters in Japan have never had much in the way of rights. Still, it is difficult to evict someone from a home they rent, even ...
This week's topic comes courtesy of M.J., who contacted Lifelines after her uncomfortable experience at a Tokyo hotel with her family.
A reader wrote to Lifelines recently about the subject of dividing property upon divorce.
In the 1990s when we rented an old house in Saitama Prefecture, we needed a parking space since we had a car at the time. There was none on the property and so we talked the landlord into tearing down a decrepit prefabricated storage ...
A reader shares her experiences with internet banking upon leaving Japan on a temporary basis.
This week's query comes from A.R., who is having some problems with a less-than-cooperative former employer
On April 19, the Lower House of the Diet unanimously passed a revision to the Safety Net Law. The revision creates a new system that will register vacant properties with local governments and, ideally, these properties will be renovated and then rented out to ...
Two adult daughters contacted Lifelines hoping to get help with issues related to their fathers.
A reader asks, "Is there some system in Japan for the police, ambulance or hospital to take an unwilling schizophrenic patient to hospital?"
The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake left 110,000 people in three prefectures without shelter. Most of these people moved into emergency evacuation centers while the authorities prepared temporary housing for them. About 53,000 prefabricated housing units, called kasetsu, were built in accordance with a national ...
Thanks to technology, your loved one can always be with you, in your pocket — or under your thumb.
