Apr 29 (Japan Times) - The number of homeless people in Japan stood at 3,824 as of January, down 4.2% from a year before, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Wednesday.
It was the lowest number since the ministry started compiling such statistics in 2003, apparently reflecting local government support for financially strapped people to prevent them from becoming homeless.
Of the total, 3,510 were men and 197 women. The gender of the remaining 117 people was not identified.
By prefecture, the number of homeless people was the highest in Osaka, at 990, followed by Tokyo, at 862, and Kanagawa, at 687.
