ÄLDRE JAPANSKA HUS I DET OFFENTLIGA RUMMET. Diskursanalys av diskussionen kring bostadsbeståndet i Japan

Abstract

The current situation in the Japanese property market is not sustainable, as houses are seen as consumer goods rather than investments. Comparing property advertisements with official Japanese texts concerning house building and addressing the question of safe and discarded houses, this study aims to highlight a larger discussion on the housing situation in Japan by examining interpersonal structure and functional elements such as pictures. The material analysed consists of four, rather complicated legal documents, one more elaborated and accessible document on earthquake-safe buildings, and a total of 40 advertisements for properties in the local town Kochi and the local district Ukyo in Kyoto, altogether representing two discourses, “property advertisements” and “federal texts”. The study found that the advertisements were rich in positive adjectives, while not directly referring to the situation at hand, and, in the process, perhaps contributing to making the second-hand property market more attractive. The official documents conveyed a rather neutral but authoritative tone, while establishing that the final responsibility lies with the owner of a property. However, currents measures do not adequately address the problem. Perhaps we will see a change once the official documents have percolated down to the general house buyer.