Re: Japan, I'd be curious how apples-to-apples that comparison is; I read the linked article, but it wasn't entirely clear. At any rate, it seems like NIMBYism would be relatively easier to combat in Japan given that it's generally accepted that houses will just get demoed and rebuilt, period; average house life expectancy, depending on how you calculate it, can be said to be under 30 years.

Looking around my neighborhood here in Portland, OR, though, the number of "no demo" and "stop infill" signs is a little maddening. I have empathy for difficulties caused by rapid development, but the "I don't ever want the neighborhood to change" mentality is horribly lacking in pragmatism. It's a bit difficult to imagine optimally practical political solutions for denser housing in this climate.