The term "missing middle housing" doesn't exist in Japan, because middle housing is far from missing. It's abundant, largely because it's legal and much cheaper and more efficient to build. The more builders construct the same type of structure, the faster and cheaper they can do it. To address a severe housing shortage after WWII, the Federal government in Japan simplified zoning for multi-family housing. The longer a developer spends tied up in regulatory processes, the higher the eventual project costs are (especially when interest rates are high!). The government made it easy to build housing. So builders built. This type of housing is great for infill sites in existing neighbourhoods: most people in Tokyo do not own cars, so the high cost of parking is not a part of the equation. If you dislike tall and sprawl (our current built form across most of this country) this deregulation is key to a more affordable & liveable future. businessinsider.com/america-…