|
by Homeless People's Network)
Seventy percent of homeless people in Tokyo lost their jobs
through restructuring, and 80 percent want to find employment,
according to a white paper released Friday.
The report by the Tokyo metropolitan government is the first
ever published in Japan on the homeless.
Tokyo government officials in March last year surveyed 1,000
homeless people who were living in temporary housing, parks or
alongside rivers.
The number of homeless in Tokyo is 5,700, which is 1.7 times
higher than five years ago and accounts for 30 percent of Japan's
total homeless population, according to the report.
Fifty percent of Tokyo's homeless are in their 50s, while 90
percent of the homeless people in the capital are in their 40s,
50s or 60s, the report said. Ninety-eight percent of the homeless
are males.
Two-thirds of the homeless had held stable positions either
as company employees or as operators of their own businesses.
Ten percent of these people were white collar workers in management
or clerical positions, the report said.
The major reasons cited for being jobless were: resignation
(30 percent); lack of day labor (25 percent); dismissal (13 percent);
and sickness or injury (9 percent).
The Tokyo government concluded that 70 percent of the homeless
had been dismissed from their jobs.
The government next fiscal year will pump more resources into
providing support for the homeless, including increasing self-reliance
support centers.
**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material
is distributed without charge or profit to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information
for non-profit research and educational purposes only.**
| 
