Editorial

14:29 JST, June 22, 2025

With real estate prices soaring, unscrupulous businesses have in many instances forced elderly people to sell their homes. The government must quickly take measures to address this issue.

There have been many disputes due to leaseback contracts, under which homeowners sell their property to real estate companies and use the proceeds as rent to continue living in their home. According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, it received 239 requests for consultation on this issue last fiscal year, 10 times more requests than it saw five years ago.

In one case, a woman in her 70s, facing financial difficulties, sold her condominium unit to a real estate agent for ¥16 million on the condition that she could continue living there for ¥60,000 per month in rent. However,........

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