After learning that about 20 homeless people had moved into a dormlike shelter in their neighborhood, a large group of residents in the Higashi-Nippori district of Tokyo's Arakawa Ward demanded that the local assembly close the facility and relocate its occupants.
The residents acknowledge that Tokyo, whose homeless population exceeds 6,000, is desperately in need of such facilities but argue they should not be built in a quiet, safe neighborhood like theirs.
They also do not like how the privately run Tatsumi-ryo requires its occupants to apply for allowances from local welfare offices and pockets two-thirds of the money they get for housing, food and utilities.