Japan has millions of cheap abandoned homes. Here's what to know before you buy one.

Tech Insider
A woman sitting on the floor facing an open door.
Buying an akiya can provide a great opportunity, but buyers should be aware of possible downsides.

Maigo Mika

China has to stabilize its housing market and address risks to its economy if it wants to avoid 'Japanification', JPMorgan says

Tech Insider : Economy
Elderly Chinese people sitting at dining tables and eating plates of food.
Falling birth rates saw China's population drop by 850,000 people last year, according to official figures.

Zhu Xudong/Xinhua via Getty Images

I moved to an abandoned house in Japan's countryside. I learned that homeownership in Japan is not the same ticket towards long-term stability as it is in the US.

Tech Insider
A woman sitting in her backyard in Japan.
Bethany "Bitsii" Nakamura moved from the US to Japan in 2021.

Bethany Nakamura

2 people took me inside their affordable Tokyo apartments. After seeing what I can get in the city for as little as $500, I'd move to there in a heartbeat.

Tech Insider
Ryan Crouse and Ryza Ry in their Tokyo apartments.
Ryan Crouse and Ryza Rynazal in their Tokyo apartments.

Monica Humphries/Insider

Here's why China's economy is headed for stagnation, according to Nobel economist Paul Krugman

Tech Insider : Economy
xi jingping
China's President Xi Jinping

REUTERS/Petar Kujundzic

Americans are moving to Japan for its safety and affordability

Tech Insider
A family of four posing for a photo in Japan.
Veronica Hanson and her family moved to Japan in 2022.

Veronica Hanson

An airline founder flew to an airport to personally apologize to passengers after they got stuck there overnight, reports say

Tech Insider : Travel
Chang Kuo-wei seen with a Starlux Airlines model aircraft
Chang Kuo-wei flew to Tokyo Narita Airport to apologise to Starlux passengers.

Getty Images

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is bringing Japan closer to NATO, in yet another own goal for Putin

Tech Insider : Politics
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi address a media conference on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, April 4, 2023.

AP Photo/Geert Vand

It's riskier than ever to be a foreign business in China, as evidenced by a series of recent sanctions, detentions, and an updated anti-espionage law that has watchdogs on edge

Tech Insider : Economy, Politics
Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images

America is refusing to do the one simple thing that would solve the Great People Shortage

Tech Insider : Economy, Politics
A US factory with immigrant employees multiplying
The US needs more workers or it will face serious economic chaos. There's a clear fix: more immigration.

Tyler Le/Insider

Two simple words: more immigrants

America needs more workers. 

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