Photo/Illutration Young people dance to music and hang out with drinks at the Toyoko area in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district on Dec. 2. (Ryo Takeda)

To help charities who support young people and protect them from abuse and criminals, the government will conduct the first national survey on such support groups.

The survey will start in July mainly in downtown areas of cities across the country, said Masanobu Ogura, the minister in charge of policies for children, on July 3.

Though many groups are known to offer shelter, food and advice to vulnerable young people, there is no official data on how many are out there and what exactly they are doing to help.

Ogura made the announcement after he visited an area known as Toyoko in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district, one of Japan’s largest nightlife neighborhoods.

This particular block of the district is a favorite hangout for young people, including runaway teenagers.

Runaways are highly prone to crime and abuse. In 2022, police arrested an alleged sexual predator who pretended to be a supporter of teenagers seeking help.

“Home and school are not safe places for many young people who spend the night in the area despite the danger,” said Ogura. “And they often suffer from abuse and poverty at home.”

Ogura also met with members of Nippon Kakekomidera, a Kabukicho-based charity that supports vulnerable people of all ages, as well as teens aged 17 to 19 who used to hang out at Toyoko.

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