At Shinjuku Station, “Rent is too expensive. Do something about it! Demonstration”…A man in his 50s who was cut off by a dispatched worker spoke of his “miserable living environment.

People screamed at the rising rent.

As melodies were played from a DJ booth set up in the back of the truck, young men and women holding microphones began to utter these words one after another: “If the rent goes down, I can travel.

If the rent goes down, I can go on vacation.

I can’t go out because the rent is too high.

Where can I find a good, cheap house?

Lower the rent!”

On March 14, at the east exit of Shinjuku Station, he said, “Rent is too high. Do something about it! demonstration” was held at the east exit of Shinjuku Station on March 14. The demonstration was organized by the Housing Poverty Network and the Metropolitan Youth Union.

In Tokyo’s 23 wards, rent for a one-room apartment soared to 100,000 yen, 200,000 yen for a couple, and 250,000 yen for a family. In an increasing number of cases, landlords are setting prices so aggressively that they are being asked to raise them by more than 10% upon renewal. It is likely that rent prices will continue to rise further in the future.

I have to go to several supermarkets to buy specials to make ends meet,” said a call center worker in Koto-ku, Tokyo.

Mr. A, a man in his 50s who worked at a call center in Koto-ku for more than 10 years but was cut off from his job last summer.

His monthly income of about 300,000 yen was reduced to about 180,000 yen in unemployment benefits. Unfortunately, the time of the temp cut-off coincided with the renewal period of his rental property. Furthermore, the landlord notified him that the rent would be raised. The monthly rent for a 19-square meter 1DK with a separate bathroom and toilet was 87,000 yen. Mr. A was angry.

It’s only a thousand yen, but it’s a thousand yen for a person on unemployment benefits. When I moved in, I was told that there would be cockroaches in the apartment, but I am also bothered by drafts and noise, and the living environment is very bad. I would like to move to a cheaper place, but I can only find more expensive housing in Shinjuku City.

If I subtract rent from my unemployment allowance of 180,000 yen, the amount will not reach 100,000 yen, and with prices rising, I cannot live on my unemployment allowance alone. Rent accounts for a large proportion of my expenses, and I am at the limit of what I can get from supermarket specials, so I wish there was a system that I could rely on.

Condominium Prices Are Affecting Renters

The average price of a newly built condominium for sale in the 23 wards of Tokyo is 138,130,000 yen (in 2013), about 18 times the average annual income, making it unaffordable for the average person. The rising prices of newly built condominiums for sale are “putting the squeeze on those who cannot afford to buy,” said Kazuhiro Sato, associate professor at the Takasaki University of Economics.

Compared to the prices of condominiums in 2010 and today, prices have doubled. With housing prices rising too fast and mortgage interest rates rising, households that would have originally bought owner-occupied homes may have given up buying and are now renting, causing rent prices to rise.”

The prices of condominiums in the 23 wards of Tokyo have exceeded even those during the bubble period, making it impossible for ordinary working people to afford them. In general, rent prices have also risen, and it is becoming impossible for ordinary working people to afford a house or live in Tokyo.

The government’s housing policy is biased toward encouraging homeownership because “buying a home means buying new furniture and appliances, which stimulates the economy. Japan’s policy of emphasizing home ownership should be fundamentally revised.

In the ’26 tax code outline, the mortgage tax credit has been more expanded, extending its term and making used and smaller properties eligible, but there is no rent subsidy or other support for those living in rental housing.

Even in Tokyo, where rents are high, since the Ishihara administration, metropolitan housing has only been rebuilt and no new housing has been built. The Koike administration has been promoting affordable housing with lower rent burdens, mainly for middle-income families, while utilizing private development and fund mechanisms, but Sato points out that this has been ineffective, saying, “The target group is narrow and the supply is low, mainly for households raising children.

The housing cost burden has continued to worsen for about 30 years, and in many cases, low-income renters spend more than 40% of their disposable income on rent. Even among the middle class, more and more people may be cutting back on their living expenses to pay rent.

In Germany, a rent brake law was passed in 2002 as a result of demonstrations by citizens. The law prohibits rent increases of more than 10% of the market rent when a new contract is signed. In Japan, there is no legal framework for setting rent limits. We need to develop a standard rent guideline based on the age of the building, location, and other factors, and a system that allows each municipality to limit the range of rent hikes,” said Associate Professor Sato.

The government should not only give preferential treatment to newly built and owner-occupied houses, but should also focus on measures for renters.