In Japan homelessness increased sharply due to the rise in unemployment in the 1990s.[1]
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At the beginning of the 1990s, the homeless in Japan were viewed as a nuisance. The government tried to get rid of the street people "because the environment there needed beautification".[2] Due to endless bureaucratic obstacles, it was quite hard for the homeless to obtain benefits that they might have been eligible to receive. Only in 1997 did Tokyo at last acknowledge the existence of the homeless and start negotiating.
In 1998 officials claimed there were around 3,700 homeless in Tokyo alone. Homeless support groups estimated the number to be close to 5,000 and indicated that this number was rapidly increasing.[3]
Homelessness has grown noticeably more widespread in Japanese society since the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble across the 1990s, and the resulting 'Lost decade' of economic stagnation. This has resulted in higher unemployment, a contributing factor towards potential homelessness.
Some specific aspects of Japanese homelessness are due to the social structure of Japanese society. Historically, men were the sole providers for their families. Japanese companies believe that married men work better than unmarried ones do because the former feel more obligations and responsibilities toward their families. Hence, not only elderly men, who face ageism and cannot find employment, but unmarried men over 35 years old have difficulties in finding employment. It does not cause poorer men on average, but rather a greater variance, with increased number of both considerably rich and considerably poor men, in effect producing a greater number of homeless men than homeless women in Japan.[4] Furthermore, families usually provide more support for women than they do for men.[5]
A tiny Tokyo apartment rents for around ¥100,000 per month. As of 2011, Japan is continuing to experience economic recession. Finding even low-paid jobs is not easy. Homeless people have, for ¥1,500 to ¥2,000 per night, been staying in Internet cafés, where they get an individual room and a shower, television, soft drinks and Internet access.[6]
In 2009 Osaka zoo, which is publicly funded, bought six koalas from Australia which cost a combined ¥120 million per year to feed. Osaka has the highest population of homeless people in Japan, and the decision to spend tax yen on the zoo, instead of on the homeless, angered some of the homeless and others in Osaka.[7]
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