Abstract
The institutional framework for housing policy in Japan was started in the immediate postwar period by the Government
Housing Loan Corporation, publicly-operated housings, and the Japan Housing Corporation. Japan achieved its goal of “one
house per household” in 1973, two decades after the postwar housing shortages.
In recent years, rapid aging and a falling birthrate have prompted a major shift in the focus of housing policy from
ensuring an adequate quantity of housing to improving the overall quality of residential life. “The Basic Act for Housing”
in 2006 provides a road map for the achievement of enhanced residential living standards. Measures are now being
implemented under the Basic Program for Housing from FY2016 to FY2025.
