The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has said it will provide free public housing for victims of the torrential rains and floods that recently inundated western Japan, and will start accepting applications from prospective residents Wednesday.
Although Tokyo is several hundreds kilometers away from the area hit by extreme weather earlier this month, the capital is offering 220 residences located in council housing blocks for those who have lost their homes to the severe flooding. As of Monday, there are still 4,700 evacuees.
Asked whether victims would be motivated to move away from their homes to Tokyo for free housing, "we understand that some victims would have family in Tokyo. We thought it would help for the victims to have a safe place to stay near their family in Tokyo," said Shunro Miyazaki, an official at the Urban Development Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.