Growing concern about children eating alone has spurred a drive in Japan to offer free or low-cost meals for them at makeshift cafeterias, as the world's third-largest economy deals with its relatively high child poverty rate.

Since the launch of the first such facility in Tokyo in 2012, the number of so-called children's diners has sharply grown to about 500, with their activities expanding to dietary education, learning assistance, reduction of food waste and rekindling community ties.

Although a step in the right direction, the children's cafeterias are not a panacea for the more entrenched problems of neglect or other social difficulties that might require professional care, welfare experts say.