Japanese Cyber Cafe Offering Residence to Homeless Jobseekers Hit By Recession

According to a Reuters report, the Japanese cybercafe Cyber @ Cafe in Tokyo has taken the novel approach to assist people affected by the growing economic recession in Japan by offering long-term residence to those seeking a job after being laid off, or even offering long-term residence to the older population which may not be able to find new employment as easily as a younger person.

The Japanese government along with the Labor Ministry recently amended requirements for potential jobseekers, making them more stringent by requiring a permanent address on top of having an active guarantor, or sponsor in order to apply for employment.

The government has recently announced a housing assistance program to assist those affected, but the owner of the cafe Akihiro Sato states that his cafe fills the housing need immediately without delays or legal issues.

He goes on to describe the lodging patterns in the cafe, with younger lodgers in their mid-to-late-twenties tending to stay for a couple of months in a cubicle no bigger than a mid-size vehicle backseat before finding a new home and a job, but older and poorer residents with little chance of finding work are almost permanent residents in the cafe as a stark contrast.

The lodging process works by paying a month in advance and demonstrating an actual need for lodging, as there have been reported cases of people staying in manga/cyber cafes often running up huge tabs without the means to pay for services.  Lodgers pay an average of US ~$20 a month which is cheaper than even the lowest priced budget hotel in Tokyo.

Although the Japanese unemployment rate stands at an internationally envied rate  of 3.7%, the worsening recession in the country is expected to affect contract workers and temporary workers the most this year up to March of next year, as companies seek to cut costs and eliminate redundancies where possible and protests by foreign temporary workers become more vocal and commonplace.

I wonder if Google offers the GrandCentral service in Japan?  Anyone personally affected by the recession either here in the US or in your respective country?