(あきや)

empty house, vacant house

(ふえる)

to increase; to grow

(しゃかい)

society

(もんだい)

problem

(にほん)

Japan

(だれも)

everyone / anyone

(すむ)

to live; to reside

(ぜんこく)

nationwide; the whole country

(かず)

number, count

(きゅうひゃくまん)

nine million

(けん)

counter for houses

(おおきな)

big (attrib.)

(じんこう)

population

(へる)

to decrease / to diminish

(もちぬし)

owner

(こうれい)

advanced age

(おもな)

main; principal

(げんいん)

cause / reason

(そのまま)

as it is, unchanged

(たてもの)

building

(こわれる)

To break; to be destroyed

(きけん)

danger; risk

(かじ)

fire (accident)

(ごみ)

trash, garbage

(おきる)

to happen, occur

(きんじょ)

neighborhood

(ひと)

person / people

(しんぱい)

worry / concern

(たね)

seed, source, cause

(せいふ)

government; administration

(しちょうそん)

municipalities; cities, towns and villages

(たいさく)

countermeasure

(すすめる)

to advance; to move forward

(ふるい)

old (things)

(こわす)

to break, destroy

(ひよう)

expense, cost

(だす)

to serve, put out

(やすい)

cheap / inexpensive

(かしだす)

to lend out, to rent out

(しくみ)

structure, system, mechanism

(つくる)

to make

(せんもんか)

expert, specialist

(はやい)

early / fast

(つかいみち)

use, purpose, application

(きめる)

to decide

(たいせつ)

important

(はなす)

to speak, talk

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

to exceed, surpass

Indicates surpassing a quantity; the number exceeds nine million houses (九百万軒を超え).

to become

Expresses a change of state; Kawai became the new commissioner of the Sports Agency.

doing things like ~ and ~

Lists representative actions among several. Implies there are other actions too. Used twice in this article.

Do ~ in advance (preparation)

Indicates doing something in advance for future readiness. Companies need to decide procedures in advance.

when/if ～ (natural consequence)

Used to connect the investigation with the result: 調べると, ～ことがわかりました ('when [they] investigated, it became clear that ～').

easy to ~ / tends to ~

Used in 'うつりやすくて' meaning 'easily contagious / easy to catch'.

for / from the standpoint of

Marks the perspective of someone affected; for the neighbors, it becomes a source of worry (近所の人にとっては).

in order to ～

Expresses purpose.

to say that ~

Quoting what someone said: 「...」と話して謝りました (said ... and apologized).

空き家が増えて社会の問題になる

Empty houses are increasing and becoming a social problem

今、日本では誰も住んでいない空き家が増えています。

Right now in Japan, empty houses where no one lives are increasing.

全国でその数は九百万軒を超え、社会の大きな問題になっています。

Nationwide their number has exceeded nine million, and it has become a major social problem.

人口が減ったり、持ち主が高齢になったりすることが主な原因です。

The main causes are the declining population and owners growing old.

空き家をそのままにしておくと、建物が壊れて危険です。

If an empty house is left as it is, the building falls apart and becomes dangerous.

火事やごみの問題も起きやすくなります。

Problems such as fires and garbage also become more likely to occur.

近所の人にとっては心配の種になります。

For the people in the neighborhood, it becomes a source of worry.

政府や市町村は対策を進めています。

The national government and municipalities are moving forward with countermeasures.

古い空き家を壊すために費用を出したり、安く貸し出す仕組みを作ったりしています。

They are providing funds to demolish old empty houses and creating systems to rent them out cheaply.

専門家は「早く使い道を決めることが大切だ」と話しています。

Experts say that it is important to decide quickly how the houses will be used.