Downtown Tokyo's homeless fear removal ahead of Olympics

Shelters made of cardboard start popping up in the basement of Tokyo's Shinjuku train station right before the shutters come down at 11 p.m., in corridors where “salarymen” rushing home and couples on late-night dates have just passed by.

Dozens of homeless people sleeping rough in such spots worry that with Japan's image at stake authorities will force them to move ahead of the Olympics. Already, security officials have warned them they will likely have to find less visible locations by the end of March.

The former laborers, clerical workers and others sleeping in cardboard boxes are a not-quite-invisible glimpse of a more pervasive but largely hidden underclass of poor in Japan, a wealthy nation seen as orderly and middle class.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, photo, a homeless woman sits on a sidewalk outside Shinjuku Station with a begging bowl, in Tokyo. Like the U.S., Japan has a relatively high poverty rate for a wealthy nation. It also is less generous with social welfare than countries in Europe, and lacks the sorts of private charities prevalent in the U.S. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

Efforts to clean up what some see as urban blight have preceded every recent Olympics, including those in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro.

Tokyo city officials deny they are moving to force the homeless out specially for the Olympics. They say trying to get them into shelters is part of an overall welfare effort to get them off the streets and find them jobs and housing.

“There is nothing more than the programs we already have in place to help the homeless,” said Emi Yaginuma, a Tokyo city official in charge of such programs.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, photo, Mikio Hirau, a 72-year-old homeless man, sits in his shack that he built by himself, in Kawasaki, west of Tokyo. Nearly 16% of Japanese fall below the poverty rate, with annual income below the cutoff of 1.2 million yen ($11,000), according to 2017 Japanese government data. The poverty rate for single-adult households with children is way higher, at 51%. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

“We keep trying by making the rounds and talking to them, but all we can do is to try to persuade them.”

In theory, overnight sleeping at train stations is trespassing. In practice, the homeless have long slept in Shinjuku station and other spots. JR East, a major train company servicing Tokyo, doesn't have regulations on the homeless and employees handle situations as they come up, such as passenger complaints.

Just as the homeless arrive for the night, a public speaker overhead is warning that sleeping in the station isn't allowed.

In this Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, photo, homeless people sleep on the concrete floor of Shinjuku Station, in Tokyo. The dozens of homeless people sleeping rough in shuttered Tokyo subway stations worry that with Japan's image at stake authorities will force them to move ahead of the Olympics. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

As preparations for the Olympics began years ago, homeless people camping in a park in Tokyo's Shibuya were forced out to make way for development and a soup kitchen program there was moved to another, less visible park nearby. Advocates for the homeless fear that was just the start.

Homeless people were evicted in 2016 from a park near where the New National Stadium was built, the main arena for the Olympics.

Like the U.S., Japan has a relatively high poverty rate for a wealthy nation. It also is less generous with social welfare than countries in Europe, and lacks the sorts of private charities prevalent in the U.S.

In this Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, photo, Masanori Ito, a 76-year-old homeless man, eats his late dinner with his friend before bedding down for the night at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. The dozens of homeless people sleeping rough in shuttered Tokyo subway stations worry that with Japan's image at stake authorities will force them to move ahead of the Olympics. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

Nearly 16% of Japanese fall below the poverty rate, with annual income below the cutoff of 1.2 million yen ($11,000), according to 2017 Japanese government data. The poverty rate for single-adult households with children is way higher, at 51%.

The unraveling of extended family support networks and job insecurity have left many in Japan vulnerable to setbacks that can lead to homelessness. Japan's culture of conformity leaves many, including families, ashamed to seek help.

Most of the homeless sleeping underground in Shinjuku, a glitzy shopping area fringed by red-light districts, high-rise offices and parks, are older men.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, photo, a homeless man walks to his shack at a homeless camp set up along the Tama River, in Kawasaki, west of Tokyo. Like the U.S., Japan has a relatively high poverty rate for a wealthy nation. It also is less generous with social welfare than countries in Europe, and lacks the sorts of private charities prevalent in the U.S. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

Shigeyoshi Tozawa has a lacquer begging bowl with a few coins, three tiny, solar-powered toy figures with bobbing heads bought at a 100-yen ($1) store, and various bags filled with blankets, clothes and other items, including his poems.

“Last night/ dream of a future trip/ it is dark,” goes one poem. Passersby sometimes give him money for the poems, he says.

“This is my community. We all help each other,” Tozawa said. “There are no dirty homeless here. We are all ‘trendy.’"

In this Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, photo, laundry hangs on a line at a homeless camp on the bank of the Tama River, in Tokyo. Like the U.S., Japan has a relatively high poverty rate for a wealthy nation. It also is less generous with social welfare than countries in Europe, and lacks the sorts of private charities prevalent in the U.S. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

In what's clearly a routine, he and the others quietly prepare for the night, picking their favorite spots, neatly folding blankets. Some change into sleepwear and wipe their feet clean with wet towels, daintily placing their shoes beside their lopsided cardboard shelters.

Tozawa and the others are relatively well-dressed, in handout down jackets, baseball caps and camouflage sweatpants. Some have cell phones and other gadgets. Many have some money in the bank. They get by making the rounds of downtown soup kitchens run by church and volunteer charities, and other spots where they can get free rice balls or sandwiches.

Many of those sleeping rough are “working poor,” said Daisaku Seto, who works for a nonprofit for refugees and a consumers' food cooperative called Palsystem. He says some suffer psychological trauma and need training to get better-paying jobs. Once they drop into poverty, they rarely find their way back out.

In this Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, photo, commuters walk past a sleeping homeless man at Shinjuku Station, in Tokyo. The dozens of homeless people sleeping rough in shuttered Tokyo subway stations worry that with Japan's image at stake authorities will force them to move ahead of the Olympics. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

“We need to come up with ways to help that empower them,” said Seto, who is a leader in a one of the leaders of a grassroots group called the Anti-Poverty Network.

Yukio Takazawa, executive director of a support group for the poor in Yokohama's Kotobukicho, an area of flophouses where homeless people also tend to congregate, worries the worst is to come.

The construction boom from the Olympics will be winding down, reducing chances for odd jobs for day laborers. The younger poor, who now spend nights in Internet cafes, likely will eventually end up on the streets, said Takazawa, who has been working with the poor for 30 years.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, photo, a homeless man eats his late dinner in a cardboard box at Shinjuku Station, in Tokyo. The dozens of homeless people sleeping rough in shuttered Tokyo subway stations worry that with Japan's image at stake authorities will force them to move ahead of the Olympics. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

Finding affordable housing in Tokyo is tough. Rents are high and landlords tend to be finicky. Just getting a rental contract can require six months of rent or more up front.

Those unable or unwilling to get apartments camp along river banks, in parks and train stations. Welfare offices try to get people to move into shelters but many, like former construction worker Masanori Ito, resist. “They have rules,” he said, munching on sandwiches he got from a volunteer.

If he has to move, Ito said he plans to find some other warm outdoor spot.

In this Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, photo, a homeless man lays cardboard to spend the night at Shinjuku Station, in Tokyo. The dozens of homeless people sleeping rough in shuttered Tokyo subway stations worry that with Japan's image at stake authorities will force them to move ahead of the Olympics. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)

“I don't know where we will all move next,” he said.

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

No. 10 Miami needs everything at its disposal to slow down top-seeded Indiana's high-scoring offense in next week's College Football Playoff championship.

The good news is that the Hurricanes' defense should be at, or near, full strength.

Coach Mario Cristobal told reporters Monday he expects defensive linemen Ahkeem Mesidor and Ahmad Moten, as well as cornerback OJ Frederique, to be ready to play in next week's title game.

Mesidor and Moten were both injured during last week's dramatic 31-27 victory, but later returned. Frederique was injured during Miami's surprising 24-14 Cotton Bowl victory over No. 2 Ohio State and did not play in the Fiesta Bowl. Now, it appears all three will be there to try and help derail the Hoosiers attempt to become the first 16-0 college team since the 1890s.

“I believe we're coming out a lot like we went into the last game,” Cristobal said. “I know a couple guys came out of the game. Mesidor is in great condition. He hurt his elbow for a second and he's already full throttle. Ahmad Moten was full throttle today. I know O.J. came out. (Tight end Elija) Lofton will be the one that's in question. But aside from that, I feel really good about the rest. I would say OJ is good to go and (cornerback Damari) Brown is probably day by day.”

The Hurricanes (13-2, No. 10 CFP) may need every one of them against an Indiana team that is averaging 47.0 points in two blowout playoff wins.

Defensively, the Hoosiers (15-0, No. 1) have been equally efficient, holding their last three opponents — Ohio State, No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon — to a combined total of just 35 points.

And coach Curt Cignetti acknowledged that aside from losing key defensive lineman Stephen Daley to a right leg injury suffered in the postgame celebration following Indiana's Big Ten championship game victory over the Buckeyes, he expects to have all of his key players on the field next week.

“We came out really good, and everybody that played in the last game will play in this game,” Cignetti said.

Cignetti enters the championship game with a head coaching resume any colleague would want. He's posted 14 straight winning seasons, never had a losing season, celebrated conference championships and deep playoff runs. But there's one line still missing — the same line Cristobal happens to be missing.

Each is one win away from capturing their first national championship.

Naturally, though, neither wants their players pressing as they take college football's biggest stage.

“We've got to prepare for this game no different than we prepared for Ohio State, Alabama,” Cignetti said as the Hoosiers play for their first national title. “The biggest mistake our guys can make, and I'll talk to them tonight in the team meeting about this, is making the game bigger than it is. Going down that road would be detrimental to our preparation and performance. This week is no different than any other week, we have to be on point.”

Cristobal echoed those sentiments, though the Hurricanes face one additional pressure point — they'll be the first CFP to play the title game in their home stadium.

“The only thing that changes is that classes have started, and we have 28, 29 of the 30 new members of our team here practicing with us, which is great for us,” he said. “Aside from that, nothing changes.”

With Corey Hetherman's first season as Miami defensive coordinator nears its end, the Hurricanes seem to be playing some of their best football. They allowed 20 or fewer points in the last seven games prior to the Ole Miss game.

Cignetti isn't surprised.

Hetherman served as his defensive coordinator from 2019-21 at James Madison. When Hetherman departed, Cignetti promoted Bryant Haines to defensive coordinator, and he has served in that capacity each of the past four seasons for Cignetti.

So Cignetti has some notion of what to expect next Monday.

“We've evolved offensively, the terminology has changed. We do things differently, but his scheme has (changed), too,” Cignetti. “Philosophically, in terms, of what we think is important, him and I, that hasn't changed. He's going to create havoc up front, stop the run, tackles for losses, sacks. They've got 47 sacks on the year, and he's going to attack."

Cignetti used the transfer portal to fuel Indiana's success in 2024 and again in 2025 with the additions of players such as Daley, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and starting center Pat Coogan — each of whom has played a key role in this season's success.

But Cignetti said he wants to become less reliant on the transfer portal in the years ahead. In fact, he insists that transition has already started.

“I knew we had to flip the roster (last year)," Cignetti said. “And every year as your high school recruiting builds up, you kind of start to wean down a little bit from the portal. You'll never be at a point where you don't engage with the portal, but this year we'll take a few less than we took last year and last year we took a few less than we did the year before.”

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CORRECTS TO MISSISSIPPI HEAD COACH PETE GOLDING NOT MISSISSIPPI HEAD COACH MARIO CRISTOBAL - Mississippi head coach Pete Golding, center, greets Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, right, after the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Miami safety Zechariah Poyser (7) and defensive back Ethan O'Connor (24) break up a pass intended for Mississippi wide receiver De'zhaun Stribling (1) during the second half the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Oregon wide receiver Dakorien Moore (1) carries against Indiana linebacker Rolijah Hardy (21) during the second half of the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) kisses the trophy after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Oregon, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the trophy after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Oregon, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)