Arab News Japan

The recent closure of internet cafes in major cities in Japan has left many citizens without secure housing stranded.

Internet cafes that work around the clock provided the homeless people in Japan with a place to stay as most of the cafes include private booths, showers, and entertainment.

Japanese authorities are now providing homeless people with hotel rooms and other forms of temporary accommodation in Tokyo. While in Saitama, sports halls have been repurposed to house 200 people.

Japan’s homelessness rate is low compared to other developed nations, but according to BBC, more than 4,000 people seek refuge in Tokyo’s internet cafes.

According to Japanese newspaper, the Nikkei Asian Review, Tokyo's government says welfare offices can send homeless residents to designated temporary accommodation.

However, a consultant for a local homeless support group, Kazuhiro Gokan, told Nikkei Asian Review that many people had been turned away due to “a misunderstanding among administrators.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a month-long state of emergency on April 7, covering Tokyo and six other prefectures.