In the Kamagasaki day-laborer district of Osaka, news about the soon-to-be passed bill to provide aid for the nation's homeless has been greeted with a mixture of hope and indifference.
"We really need help, especially with housing," said Hiroyuki Sekimoto, a homeless man who has lived in the area for two years. "Things aren't so bad, now that the weather is warm. But every winter, some of the older men die on the streets. If this bill means that people can get off the streets, then I'm all for it."
"It's not going to make any difference," said Yasuo Nishitani, another homeless man. "The politicians say that they'll help us find employment. But most of us are old and can't work like we used to, and, in this lousy economy, there aren't any jobs for people like us anyway."