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Abandoned Homes Haunt Japanese Neighborhoods
Ghost towns are coming as the population ages and shrinks
Abandoned house in Kita Ward, Tokyo
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Population decline in Japan is so serious that parts of the country may be ghost towns in less than 20 years.
More than 8 million homes are already empty, and that number may reach 21.5 million by 2033, or about one-third of the nation's housing stock, Nomura Research Institute forecasts.