Targeted Standards for Floor Space in a Government Housing Plan: an Empirical Investigation of the Kanto Area in Japan

We estimate a demand function for household floor space in the Kanto area in Japan by using a survey questionnaire, and conduct calibrations to investigate whether effective demand is consistent with the prescribed targeted or minimum floor space in Japan¡¦s Basic Act for Housing. The results indicate that one- and two-person families can afford relatively large houses, but many three-person families with lower incomes and most four- and five-person families cannot afford housing that meets the Act¡¦s targeted housing standards. This result implies that further subsidies are needed to achieve the Act¡¦s targets.