Demolition Tech Crassone Concludes Cooperation Agreement with Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, on Promoting Measures for Vacant Houses

Left: Himeji City Mayor Right: Kohei Yamada, Crassone Executive Officer

Crassone Inc. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture; CEO: Teppei Kawaguchi; hereinafter referred to as "the Company"), which operates the demolition work DX platform "Crassone," has concluded the "Himeji City Vacant House Countermeasures Promotion Agreement" with Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture (hereinafter referred to as "Himeji City"). As a measure against the vacant house problem, which has recently become a social issue nationwide, we aim to create a safe and secure town by promoting the removal of vacant houses in Himeji City. With this agreement, our company's track record of local government partnerships has reached 196 local governments (including organizations run by the administration), 17 local governments in Hyogo Prefecture, and the population coverage rate in Hyogo Prefecture is approximately 67% (※1).

Background to the Agreement

In recent years, the number of vacant houses has increased, becoming a social issue. According to the "2023 Housing and Land Survey" announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (※2), the number of vacant houses nationwide is 9 million, and the vacancy rate is 13.8%, reaching a record high. The number of vacant houses in Hyogo Prefecture is 386,900, and the ratio of vacant houses to the total number of households is 13.8%, an increase of 0.4 points compared to the previous survey.

In Himeji City, vacant house countermeasures are a critical regional issue, with the vacancy rate exceeding the national average due to population decline and aging. To address this issue, the "Himeji City Vacant House Countermeasures Plan" was formulated in FY2022. Measures such as awareness campaigns for owners, promotion of early utilization, and guidance on environmental impacts are being advanced, based on the basic principles of proper management through citizen collaboration, promotion of utilization, and suppression of the occurrence of specific vacant houses. However, responding to vacant houses with various circumstances, such as complex inheritance and aging owners, required detailed support utilizing specialized knowledge and experience in overall vacant house measures, including demolition, in addition to administrative efforts.

Our company operates "Crassone," a service that matches over 2,300 specialized construction companies nationwide with clients in the demolition work sector, and to date, we have a cumulative record of over 160,000 users (※3). Furthermore, public-private partnership projects for vacant house countermeasures using the "Demolition Cost Simulator" and "Home Ending-of-Life Navigator" were adopted for three consecutive years (from FY2021 to FY2023) by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Model Project for Vacant House Countermeasures Utilizing the Housing Market." Currently, we are promoting vacant house countermeasures through public-private partnerships with 196 local governments nationwide (including Himeji City).

This time, leveraging the resources and features of both Himeji City and our company, a cooperation agreement was concluded to resolve the vacant house problem within Himeji City. The agreement was reached with the aim of suppressing and resolving the occurrence of mismanagement and promoting the utilization of vacant houses. Through these efforts, we will resolve vacant house issues and contribute to the promotion of local government DX, such as improving the quality of resident services and operational efficiency for local government officials, by utilizing IT technologies and data, including our "Home Ending-of-Life Navigator."

Main Initiatives Based on the Agreement

・ Introduce "Home Ending-of-Life Navigator" which provides estimated demolition costs and land sale appraisal prices (URL: https://www.crassone.jp/simulator/navi/hyogo/himejishi)

・ Provide a "Vacant House Contact Form" where citizens can report problematic vacant houses in their neighborhood to the local government...