More than 250, 000 households currently live in overcrowded social housing while a further 430, 000 households are unable to easily downsizefrom larger properties they no longer need.
And aging baby boomers are looking for a more urban lifestyle as they downsizefrom large homes in the suburbs to more compact town houses in more densely built locations.
Buyers are embracing the latest round of compact and subcompact cars with a passion these days, from empty nesters looking to downsize their rides but maintain desired levels of comfort and conveniences to younger motorists looking to minimize their carbon footprints and budget-conscious buyers looking for a lower sticker price and higher fuel economy.
Panasonic Corp. bucked the downward trend in Tokyo, gaining 0.6%, after a Nikkei report said that the company plans to significantly downsize its TV operations over the three years, from fiscal year 2013.
"I get a lot of requests from viewers who have a limited range of motion asking me to split standard controllers in half or downsize a controller so it fits in one hand, " said Ben.