When a massive typhoon ripped through Japan earlier this month, several homeless people were denied access to shelters or emergency assistance, raising concerns about how local governments respond during natural disasters when society's most vulnerable are in peril.
In Tokyo's Taito Ward on Oct. 12, the night Typhoon Hagibis struck the capital, three homeless people were turned away from a shelter because they could not provide proof of a fixed address, with one claiming to be from Hokkaido.
The ward's government said its shelters are only for residents, but it is reviewing processes to see how it can respond to the needs of the homeless.