Society Xenophobia compounds housing struggles for foreign residents

Little progress on the real estate market: Foreign residents have become more visible in Japan, but many still struggle to secure housing. The reasons vary, including cultural gaps, language barriers, and, increasingly, signs of xenophobia. There have been some efforts toward inclusion, though progress looks uneven. Businesses that employ large numbers of foreign workers also report problems finding housing for staff. A fiscal 2022 survey by the Japan Property Management Association, covering 800 landlords, found that only about 30% accepted non-Japanese tenants.

About half of the respondents said they felt put off by foreign tenants. They raised concerns about garbage rules, noise, rent payments, and language issues. At the same time, an official at a real estate firm handling around 600 leases a year for foreign tenants said complaints from landlords were no different from those involving Japanese renters. Even so, some landlords said foreign tenants might cause trouble in neighbourhoods or discourage other residents. The government has said that refusing housing on the basis of nationality could amount to unfair discrimination.

In 2007, the Kyoto District Court ordered damages to be paid to a South Korean woman who had been denied a lease because of her nationality. The state now classifies non-Japanese residents as people in need of support in securing housing and offers subsidies to groups that help them. It has also issued guidance urging companies to help foreign workers adjust to daily life. Still, authorities can do little beyond guidance when it comes to real estate practices.

One married couple with Middle East origins who had to move from Kyushu to Osaka said they spent days last year searching the websites of major real estate agents. They picked 10 or so preferred properties. On a day off, they took a Shinkansen to Osaka and visited a real estate agent with a Japanese acquaintance. An official of the agent phoned property owners and managers, but the couple knew the inquiries were being rejected the moment the official said the clients were non-Japanese. "We had taken so much time and care picking those properties, but they were all denied to us," the couple said. "We weren't even allowed to take a look at them." They were forced to consider a few properties where non-Japanese tenants were not ruled out and sign an agreement for one of them. Their new home is noisier than what they had wanted.

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I've been told many times that landlords do not like to rent to Chinese and the reason because of that is the way they cook the whole apartment gets greasy and really bad actually so there's the pros and the cons to go with any tenant.
I was lucky to work with an NGO that rents to foreign students. No key money or 2 months rent in advance just move in with the first month's rent.
Basically at least for me the landlord handles the water the electricity and gas.

musicisgood said:

I've been told many times that landlords do not like to rent to Chinese and the reason because of that is the way they cook the whole apartment gets greasy and really bad actually so there's the pros and the cons to go with any tenant.
I was lucky to work with an NGO that rents to foreign students. No key money or 2 months rent in advance just move in with the first month's rent.
Basically at least for me the landlord handles the water the electricity and gas.

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A Real Incident: "Unbelievably Malicious" — The Reason a Chinese Student in Japan Fell Behind on Rent
A Chinese YouTuber based in Japan, Xiao Zheng, uploaded a video that has since been picked up by various media outlets.
According to the footage, a Chinese female student studying in Japan had rented an apartment, but had been behind on rent payments for several months.
The landlord attempted to contact her, but was unable to reach her, and she had already disappeared from the apartment with her whereabouts unknown.
Concerned that she might have been involved in some kind of incident, the landlord reported the situation to the police.
When the police entered the apartment to investigate, they found the interior in disarray, with garbage scattered throughout the room. The litter box of her pet cat was also left filled with waste.
In the end, it was discovered that the student had fled. Xiao Zheng strongly criticized her actions, stating, "This is a serious breach of contract. Instead of trying to avoid responsibility, she should first consider whether she has the ability to live independently, including paying rent and covering living expenses."
Following this incident, online reactions included comments such as, "This is unbelievably malicious," "Landlords probably won't want to rent to foreigners anymore," and "The way the room was used is far too filthy," indicating that the issue has sparked widespread backlash.