Continuing to build housing despite knowing the population will decrease is essentially creating future waste. High-rise apartments are typical examples.

Try convincing South Korea on that, where they have massive construction of high rise apartment buildings in towns in the middle of nowhere. They're building new apartment complexes like they were getting ready for a massive increase on the population, but we all know Korea has the lowest birthrate in the world.

And when they companies can't sell the apartments, they entice municipalities to buy them with "you don't want these empty units in your town."

Housing is a commodity. Restrict it and prices rise.

Continuing to build housing despite knowing the population will decrease is essentially creating future waste. High-rise apartments are typical examples.

Speaking truth to power. Housing should have never become a commodity to be traded by private equity.

But Mayor Hisamoto is calling out the very lucrative business dealings of the financial capital, developers, construction companies and their crony officials that enrich Japan Inc.

True, but without the construction industry, one suspects that the Japanese economy will go from its current status of 4th, to about 184th.

A sensible remark from a Japanese mayor. Refreshing. And sadly surprising. It should be the norm but it’s the exception.

nevertheless not only an intelligent but a courageous decision aswell. Going against the construction and real estate moguls in Japan is dangerous.

there is already a huge amount of empty residential and commercial buildings, prices kept artificially high by the big real estate traders Mori, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo.

they can stil keep doing it for a while but inevitably that bubble will burst and the real estate business and prices will collapse.

In Kobe, there are expensive apartment blocks that ordinary people cannot afford.

ever notice that new mansions and houses are always sold? that’s because people move from old ones.

Well, Mr. Kipling, I and many others like me are here to stay in Tohoku. There is no waste in rebuilding an area with great historical and cultural significance. When your area is devastated by some natural disaster or other, I will be sure to let the government know that they shouldn't waste resources on you.

There is a really interesting article here that provides a lot of the background related to Kobe’s policy which is worth a read

https://catforehead.com/2024/08/11/tall-order-2/

How about building more housing which is more affordable and actually spacious? Good insulation might help too

Thanks for the link, rainyday. Looks like Kobe has realistically figured it can't beat the inevitable drift of wealth and population.

More likely economic collapse will result in having to bring in foreign workers by the millions, though...

The real waste is the cash wasted rebuilding many of the places in Tohoku destroyed after the earthquake/tsunami. Much of which will be a depopulated wasteland in 20-30 years.

Before giving up the mayor and the rest of the leaders needs to come up with ways of boasting young population. Unlike most places in rural Japan (no offense intended), Kobe is still a bustling City with various great industries. Therefore, jobs won't be a problem and above all Kobe rocks in the Fashion industry.

And yet Kobe is full of large construction sites. And the south of JR Sannomiya is being developed right now. Kobe seems to have pretensions to resist the gradual wealth and population migration to Tokyo. Yet this mayor wants to restrict residential buildings. Something makes no sense here.

"Continuing to build housing despite knowing the population will decrease is essentially creating future waste. High-rise apartments are typical examples."

That's just called giving up without a fight! Or total surrender without any resistance. According to the mayors logic I should dare to say let whomever want to burn their cash burn it that's what democracy is all about "freedoms."

More building, less people, however property price currently still high.