Japan’s Homeless Kids

Aug 10, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Kabukicho is one of the most popular places for tourists in Japan, but behind the bright lights and stores is a very dark secret. Since the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of children have run away from home and come to Tokyo for refuge from their broken families.

These kids range from 13 to 20 years old and call themselves the “Tokyoko Kids”. They live in manga cafes and party in Toyoko Plaza in Kabukicho, Shinjuku every night. Because of their need for money, they are often exploited by Japan’s adult predators or sucked into the drug trade. Not wanting to return back to their hometowns, they are on the run trying to avoid the police sending them back to their broken families. The appearance of the Toyoko Kids is a disturbing trend in Japan following the pandemic. Since homelessness in Japan is usually a problem with the elderly, the sudden appearance of hundreds of young homeless kids in Tokyo is something the Japanese authorities are not prepared to handle.

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