This paper examines conditions of social exclusion and attempts at social inclusion in Japan from a housing perspective. Companies, households and the government have previously supported housing in Japan. However, corporate welfare was withdrawn following the globalization of the economy from the 1990s onwards, support from families and communities declined due to a reduction in household size, and governmental housing support has shifted away from direct support.

Once households lose accommodation and become homeless, accessing new accommodation can be very difficult without some mutual aid. This process is one reason why social exclusion has been spreading in Japanese society, and why changes in informal mutual aid within the housing sector is a focus of this paper.

The paper presents a framework that considers the possible movement from social exclusion to social inclusion in Japan while focusing on the ‘state’, ‘process’ and ‘space’ of housing poverty, and also informal mutual aid to support paths to social inclusion. The aim of this paper is to examine: i) the decline in availability of housing; ii) the condition of social exclusion; iii) new innovations to support social inclusion.