Japan to Take Steps against Malicious Biz amid Reuse Boom

Tokyo, Sept. 8 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government has begun working with an industry group to take steps against malicious businesses among those that collect used goods for sale at secondhand shops, as the reuse market continues to boom.

In early July, a seminar on the management of houses left vacant was held in Tokyo. The lecturer urged participants to carefully check the wishes of owners, typically parents, sort through their abandoned belongings and dispose of those considered unnecessary.

"I have no plan to live in my family house, where my mother lives," a participant in her 50s from Toshima Ward said. "I want to hire a company to clean it up before it becomes a hoarder house and causes problems for neighbors, but I don't know which company to choose."

The reuse market, including companies that collect unwanted items in their household goods clearance services, is expanding amid inflation and increasing demand for such services reflecting a decrease in the number of members per household.

According to The Reuse Economic Journal, a Japanese newspaper, the size of the market reached a record 3.3 trillion yen in 2024, almost triple the level of 2009, when the market survey began.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]