A total of 2,523 people were living at the 30 support facilities for the homeless in Tokyo and eight other major cities as of the end of November, up 15 percent from the same time last year.
Many of the new residents are temporary and day workers thrown out of work amid the economic downturn.
Among the locations, 994 homeless people were at facilities in Osaka, up 9 percent from 908 last year. The number is 701 in Tokyo, up 33 percent from last year's 527, and 268 in Nagoya, up 86 percent from 144.
Local governments are having a hard time handling the situation as occupancy rates at these facilities have grown to 71 percent from last year's 62 percent.
Many people employed by temp staff agencies have lost their jobs and places to live after being kicked out of employee dormitories.
Some homeless people have moved to the major cities from municipalities that lack such support facilities.
The number of homeless people taking shelter has been particularly stark in Nagoya since the fall.
In Tokyo, after a decline in the homeless population that continued for two years until fall 2007, the numbers of homeless have started to increase again, with the figure growing rapidly since spring.