A rapidly aging population, plus a preference for new home, has created a glut of abandoned spaces available for free or next-to-nothing. What’s driving the government to give away homes?

Japan’s birth rate has hovered around 1.3 for years, far from the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population, and just last week Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said ...

By Tim Hornyak When Jaya Thursfield found a house he wanted to buy in Japan a few years ago, friends and family told him to forget it. The place wasn’t worth the trouble, they said. After all ...

Thatched roofed houses in a traditional village, Kyoto Prefecture, Miyama, Japan on August 9, 2018 in Miyama, Japan.Eric Lafforgue/Getty Images ...

But Boxable makes foldable homes that can be easily shipped anywhere, made of steel, concrete and EPS foam. They come already complete with HVAC, plumbing and electric systems and have solar panels ...