K.Ohmoto, Housing Policy in Japan (1991)

This book first deals with the formative process of housing policy in Japan which had not been studied. It is also a document which inquired of the persons concerned through the method of oral history. According to the author' view point that "The housing policy is social policy", this review summarizes the features of this book and estimates it. In the first place this book brings home to me that post war Japanese government consistently put emphasis on the preparation of the industrial basis and neglected the housing in constructive administration again. It shows me that housing policy thoroughly adopted the owner-occupation policy and the "number priority" policy too. Therefore I realize in historical cities, such as Kyoto, centralized housing policy doesn't assure the building of the new houses fitted the historical landscape. However her method of oral history can't explain that there is a wide gap between the consciousness of the bureaucracy who tackled the housing problem and the serious conditions many people suffered from housing. As to her view point that "The housing policy is social policy", the theoretical ground needs because the former social policy theory didn't contain the housing policy in Japan