Rafael Yukio Kusuki, 20, a third-generation Japanese-Brazilian, has been accepted to Aichi Prefectural University, his first choice, after overcoming a host of difficulties — including homelessness — to continue his studies.

After Kusuki's mother remarried he was forced to move out of his home and seek refuge at the Nowami consultation office in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, which supports the homeless. That was 1½ years ago and he now lives in the shelter, sharing a room with a man in his 20s suffering from social withdrawal and a former homeless man in his 60s.

He relies on social welfare to pay for his living and school expenses. Kusaki's life was unlike any of the other high school students studying for university entrance exams, but even so he felt that "the environment was good" for him and said he "was glad he came (to the shelter)."