Harajuku DanchiBuying an apartment in an older building may be appealing because you can get more space for your money, but what will happen down the track when the building has reached a point where it needs rebuilding?

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, only 218 apartment buildings nationwide have either been redeveloped or are in the process of doing so. This represents just 0.5% of the 38,000 buildings built before 1981 - the year when the major change to earthquake-resistant building codes was introduced.

So why are there so few examples? 

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