A government survey released earlier this year found about 18,500 homeless people across Japan, mostly aged 40 or older. That was down 27 percent from a similar survey four years ago. But the Net cafe refugees signal the existence of hidden forms of homelessness in Japan, especially among younger people, Yuasa said.
The young homeless also congregate in all-night saunas and the more traditional flophouses, where the older homeless people able to afford lodging are more likely to be found.
Young people have even been spotted catching up on sleep at the nation's 900 McDonald's restaurants open round-the-clock, according to local media reports. The media has dubbed them "McRefugees."
"We don't think this is a big problem at this point," a spokesman at McDonald's Holdings Company Japan said.
"Our staff patrol stores at night and close off unneeded sections, and people who look like they are using our stores only to sleep are sometimes asked to leave," he said.
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