The number of vacant houses in Japan rose to a fresh record of 9 million in 2023, up 510,000 from the previous 2018 survey, with cases pushed up by the deaths of single elderly householders, government data showed Tuesday. The number as of Oct. 1 represents 13.8 percent of all houses in the country, also a record-high, and means that one in about seven homes is abandoned, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The increase in vacant homes can be attributed to cases where properties are left unattended because single elderly dwellers die or enter nursery homes, while …