Before the speculative bubble in Japan’s real estate market burst in the early 1990s, real estate prices in Tokyo skyrocketed without wage growth at all levels of society keeping pace. When the crisis hit, the city experienced unprecedented levels of homelessness. In response, labor and housing markets were subjected to neoliberal restructuring. But what created greater housing insecurity in other parts of the world seemed to have the opposite effect in Tokyo – the number of officially recorded rough sleepers dropped significantly. How could this be? Based on a reevaluation of Japanese literature, an analysis of government, industry, and business reports, and backed up by in-depth interviews conducted with both entrepreneurs and residents, this presentation will outline four case studies of fragile housing to examine the regulation of homelessness as an expression of Japanese capitalism in crisis. Details and registration here