Housings starts plunge two months in a row

Aside from the fact that this isn't good, I'm not entirely sure what else it means, but ... Housing starts have fallen precipitously in the last couple of months. Stricter earthquake-proofing regulations and the economy are cited as factors. Here's the graph from the Asahi: The number on the right is the housing starts in the tens of thousands. And the number on the left is the percentage change from the previous year.