Japan has 90 lakh vacant homes

Abandoned houses are known in Japan as ‘Aakiya’ – a term that usually refers to derelict residential homes tucked away in rural areas.

The number of vacant houses in Japan has surged to a record high of nine million as the east Asian country continues to struggle with its ever-declining population.

More akiya are being seen in major cities, such as Tokyo and Kyoto, and that's a problem for a government that's already grappling with an aging population and an alarming fall in the number of children born each year.

“This is a symptom of Japan's population decline,” Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, said.

“It's not really a problem of building too many houses” but “a problem of not having enough people,” he said.

According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 14 per cent of all residential properties in Japan are vacant.

The numbers include second homes and those left empty for other reasons, including properties temporarily vacated while their owners work overseas.