Housing policy and social inequality in Japan

Abstract

Housing policy does not serve to improve housing conditions for all people. Under a specific set of social, economic and political conditions, it allots resources to certain groups, which in turn contribute to the formation of social inequality. This chapter examines the role of housing policy in creating social inequality in Japan. Housing policy in Japan has placed importance on the formation of a social mainstream. The first part of this chapter highlights how Japanese housing policy reflects and reinforces the social mainstream, expanding homeownership and contributing to economic growth. The second part provides a clearer picture of the actual state of social inequalities formed by such housing policies. The final part of this chapter then considers how best to reconstruct the relationship between housing policies and social inequalities in present-day Japan.