Every year, more than 20,000 abused, delinquent, developmentally challenged or otherwise troubled Japanese children needing emergency housing pass through a system of shelters.
But the conditions inside many of them are so regimented that children can find the experience harrowing, according to interviews with more than a dozen people who have stayed or worked in the facilities and with experts on child psychology who are familiar with the system.
The concerns have prompted government officials to suggest that reform is needed, though there is no indication of when that will occur. Government-sponsored committees aimed at improving child welfare policies have been established, and changes to the centers will be on their agenda.