Employment services and job training programs are largely run by private corporations, not government.  Although some city paid jobs are available for homeless persons (by inquiry at city or ward employment welfare offices), these jobs are limited and usually do not offer long term stability or very high wages.  The Ota ward government has recently set up a program where it would offer five or six jobs specifically designed for shelterless persons.  However, as far as devising comprehensive social employment and job training schemes, the government has a long way to go.  In Tokyo, housing assistance and public housing are available to low income households.  However, in order to apply for these schemes, one must have a permanent residence address which, of course, shelterless persons do not have.  Thus, these persons are literally and figuratively left out in the cold.  The government did recently construct a makeshift hospice for shelterless persons aged 65 or older and for those with medical disabilities.  This houses 90 persons in total.  A general shelter for women has also been set up at the Fujin Kaikan in Tokyo.  The government is also working with the Salvation Army home located in central Tokyo, where homeless persons may stay temporarily when in need of medical care or other healing assistance.

There is no official document that clearly defines poverty, poverty reduction, or who the poor are; nor do they elaborate on the options of targeting poverty directly versus a "trickle-down" through support to economic infrastructure.  Japan also needs to define "basic human needs" projects whether higher education, tertiary health, and urban water supply and sewerage projects technically qualify, as opposed to water supply and sanitation projects.  Overall, the monitoring and evaluation of poverty alleviation efforts are still weak in the Japanese aid programme. Improving rural standards of living and alleviating conditions of absolute poverty are the key goals of agricultural and rural development.  To that end, strategies in this area will strive to strengthen the rural sector's production infrastructure, raise agricultural productivity and create new opportunities for employment outside the agricultural sector.

Other Web Sites to see:  1.Monopoly and the Poverty Nations; 2.  The World Needs a Strong and Internationally Active Japan.  3.  Poverty Dilemma.  4.  Japan is Still Suffering from a Bad Recession.