The recent increase in elderly population poses various problems in the field of social infrastructure and the living environments for the aged. Providing enough housing for the elderly has become one of the fundamental goals in social welfare policies. In light of these current condition, it is necessary to understand the demands of the aged in terms of the standards of living conditions in which they would be satisfied in order to better serve them. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide basic design data for architects and builders by analysing the demands and characteristics of residents in privately-owned housings for the elderly in Korea and Japav. The method of this research was based on the comparison analysis of polls taken in Korea and Japav. The results of this research are as follows: Because the polls show that the elderly want to continue their current life-style after placed in a elderly-care facility, when designing housing for the elderly, it must not be considered separate from the general society. it must be designed in way so that the residents can fully interact with the general society. Also, in order to achieve above goals, social welfare policies must be reconsidered to meet the needs of the aged populatiov.