Examining Japanese Planning System through the National Territory and Housing Policies: A Focus on Changing Characteristics and Implications

Abstract

There are similarities between Korea and Japan in terms of national planning and development system and housing policies. Japan has suffered from great shifts of social and economic systems due to skyrocketing land prices for three times and the collapse of the bubble economy after the Second World War. The study reviews historically important changes in the national territory and housing policies for last 60 years in Japan. It also investigates changing trends and characteristics of many socioeconomic indicators with regard to population, housing and other fields in response to these policies. First of all, Japan has experienced significant economic growth before and after the 1960's, and the era of national rebuilding projects in the 1970's. After then, the period of the bubble economy has emerged since 1980; however, it suffered from skyrocketing land values between the late 1980's and the early 1990's, and the collapse of Japanese bubble economy in the early 1990's. In response, many urban regeneration policies and projects were proposed to recover the national economy since 2000. It is found that these national territory development and housing supply policies throughout the country have been influenced by the changing characteristics of social and economic conditions. Since the housing supply ratio in 1968 reached up to around 100% on average, Japan has been focusing attention to improving the residential and living quality for existing housing stock rather than supplying new housing units through large-scale new town projects. These experiences are full of helpful suggestions for our future housing and urban regeneration policies as we reach to more than 100% of housing supply ratio on average.