'Net cafe refugee' population put at 5,400
Around 5,400 people with no fixed address spend their nights at
24-hour Internet cafes across Japan, of whom 27 percent are in their
20s, the health ministry said Tuesday.
In its first survey on so-called Net cafe refugees, the Health, Labor
and Welfare Ministry also determined that people in their 50s comprise
23 percent of the total, and half of them work low-paying day-hire jobs.
In the survey conducted in June and July, the ministry gave
questionnaires to about 1,700 sleepover customers at 87 Net cafes across
Japan, while separately interviewing 362 people outside Net cafes in
Tokyo and Osaka.
The ministry found that 8 percent of the respondents sleep in Net
cafes because they have no home. Based on this figure, the ministry
estimated that about 5,400 people in Japan use Net cafes as a home
substitute.
In Tokyo, 58 percent are short-term laborers and 17 percent are
unemployed. The monthly income of those in Tokyo averages 110,000,
compared with 80,000 in Osaka, with more than 40 percent of the
respondents having experienced sleeping on the streets.
In Tokyo, 33 percent lost their home after quitting work and 20
percent said they left dorms and live-in housing after leaving their
jobs.
The survey also found 66 percent of the respondents experience
difficulty in saving money to rent an apartment while 38 percent were
concerned whether they could continue paying rent.
Many said looking for a job is difficult because they lack a fixed
address. "We are just beginning to understand the underlying dynamics,"
ministry official Jun Teraoka said. "This survey will help us identify
and tackle the many labor and welfare issues involved in this
phenomenon."
Takeshi Ikuta, who heads a support group for homeless people in
Osaka, said Net cafe refugees should be considered homeless, and the
younger ones should be viewed as vulnerable.
"The government should take support measures for people working under
unstable labor conditions before they are trapped in a pattern of
sleeping in Net cafes," Ikuta said. Customers at a typical Net cafe can
stay overnight for 1,000 to 2,000 in a small cubicle equipped with a
reclining chair, computer and TV. Many cafes offer free soft-drink
refills and some even have showers.
The ministry attributes the rise in people making such cafes their
home to the ballooning number of young people who hop from one temporary
job to the next. Estimates put the figure at 2 million.
The job-hoppers are a byproduct of the economic crisis that hit a
decade ago, as well as a shift in values among younger generations less
ready to conform to Japan's more traditional corporate work ethic,
analysts say.
Many Net cafe inhabitants rely on their cell phones to arrange day
jobs that don't require a fixed address. But the casual nature of the
work means they often receive low wages and no training, social security
or health insurance.
The phenomenon has also raised health concerns. In 2005, 13 people
contracted tuberculosis at a Net cafe in Kawasaki that health officials
suspect originated from the cafe's homeless population.
Refuge sought by the homeless is not limited to Net cafes. Many also
congregate in all-night saunas and 24-hour fast food outlets, according
to the study.
The Japan Times |