Abstract
There has been an increase in akiya (vacant houses) in suburban condominium housing estates built long ago, for reasons
such as the deterioration of the buildings or units that are too small for family living. As the numbers of akiya continue to
increase, management and public safety are matters of concern. However, there are some residents of old condominium
estates who own multiple units because they like the community or the estate’s green environment, etc. Ownership of more
than one unit is a phenomenon that can be seen in roughly 10% of most estates, starting with the historic Dojunkai
Apartments.
The benefit of multiple-unit ownership at the individual level is that it can accommodate the demand to expand one’s
residence, not only when the number of family members increases during the child-raising period, but also when the
resident needs more space, even temporarily, after retirement in an age of increasing longevity. Units can be relinquished
when they are no longer needed, which makes this approach easier than moving into a larger residence.
The benefit of multiple-unit ownership for housing estates as a whole is that ownership by residents who are deeply
attached to an estate is highly likely to play a positive role in its management and administration. Furthermore, one can also
expect this to be advantageous for consensus-building in rebuilding and large-scale renovation projects.
The benefit of multiple-unit ownership for society is that otherwise unused akiya are being used. Although there are high
hurdles presented by the Condominium Unit Ownership Act, if multiple units could be renovated into single units, this
would also lead to a reduction in the number of abandoned units. For these reasons, policy support should be considered.
