The Impact of the Minkatsu Policy on Japanese Housing and Land Use

Abstract

During the period 1983–87, the ‘ minkatsu’ policy of the former Nakasone Government caused many serious problems. Urban land became a target of direct speculation by real estate companies, banks, and big enterprises. This phenomenon began in Tokyo and has now spread to all the nation's large cities. A new housing crisis has resulted, and the right to housing is widely threatened. We discuss, in this paper, the relationship of minkatsu, to the deregulation of zoning, the sale of nationally and publicly owned lands, the unease of residents, the recession in public housing policy, and skyrocketing land prices.