What’s in a Name? Perceived Ethnic Discrimination in Tokyo’s Rental Housing Market

Jessica Alder
University of Cambridge
Department of Land Economy

Sofie R. Waltl
University of Cambridge
Department of Land Economy

Konatsu Nishigai
University of Cambridge
Department of Land Economy

Helen X. H. Bao
University of Cambridge
Department of Land Economy

Abstract

This paper studies perceived ethnic discrimination as a market-access friction in Tokyo’s rental housing market. We first show that Japan’s private rental market offers limited statutory protection against nationality-based exclusion, leaving discriminatory screening weakly constrained. We then use a name-based survey experiment in which native Japanese and foreign-born residents evaluate whether otherwise identical applicants would receive a viewing invitation. Both groups expect non-Japanese applicants to face lower access probabilities than Japanese applicants. Foreign-born respondents’ evaluations capture group-level auto-stereotypes of minority disadvantage; native Japanese respondents’ evaluations capture hetero-stereotypes. Native Japanese respondents perceive larger penalties, indicating a Group-Group Discrimination Discrepancy. Among foreign-born respondents, prior everyday discrimination predicts more pessimistic access expectations, yet respondents rate their own prospects more favourably than those of their broader nationality group, consistent with the Personal-Group Discrimination Discrepancy. Platform evidence showing visible nationality-related screening links these perceptions to an institutional setting in which exclusion remains publicly observable.

JEL.: J15, R31, R21, C90, D91, K38
Keywords: Perceived discrimination; Rental housing; Ethnic discrimination; Anti-discrimination law; Japan

Working Paper: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.131270

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