A decent suit is one thing you'll definitely need if you intend to find a job, but many people are discovering they can't even afford this basic tool.

"Many young people cannot afford a whole suit for a job interview," said Kei Kudo, the 32-year-old founder of Sodateage Net, a nonprofit organization in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, that provides job training for youths.

To help, the NPO began collecting used suits in July to lend to job hunters aged 15 to 39 because the whole outfit "would cost at least ¥40,000 for men and ¥60,000 for women (including shoes and a bag)," he said.