Murderous Rampage Reveals Perils for the City’s Street Homeless
Correction: October 6, 2019 This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of a book written by Benedict Giamo. It is “On the Bowery: Confronting Homelessness in American Society," not “On the Bowery: Confronting Homelessness in America."A police van idled and a single piece of yellow caution tape flapped from a nearby tree as Benjamin Vanbrackle pulled his shirt down to show the fresh scar that wrapped around his neck to the top of his chest.
The Japanese prime minister has said typhoon shelters "should be open to everyone" - after two homeless people were turned away during the country's worst storm in decades.
© Getty Images Cleaning up in Kawasaki, Japan, after the typhoon
Typhoon Hagibis brought heavy rain and winds of 225km/h (140mph) to Japan at the weekend, killing 66 people.
But when two homeless men tried to use a shelter in Tokyo, they were turned away as they did not have addresses.
The case has caused huge debate in Japan - with not everyone sympathetic.
What happened at the shelter?
As Hagibis took hold on Saturday morning, a 64-year-old homeless man went to a primary school, which was being used as an evacuation centre.
Four Deaths, Four Mysteries: Why Were They on the Street?
After four days, the police were still struggling to identify one of the four homeless men who were brutally killed in Chinatown on Saturday, and questions abounded about how the others ended up sleeping on the streets where they lost their lives. Investigators generally face significant hurdles in finding information on homeless people who die, in part because they lack an address that can be used to find records and relatives. It’s been no different with this case.
The school was in the Taito ward of Tokyo, which includes San'ya - an area historically home to many labourers, and now homeless people.
According to officials who spoke to the Asahi Shimbun, the man was asked to write his name and address. When he said he had no address, he was turned away.
"I told them that I have an address in Hokkaido [Japan's northern island, hundreds of miles from Tokyo], but they still denied me entry," he said.
The man said he instead spent the night under an umbrella beneath the eaves of a building.
"I wanted them to allow me into the facility because the wind was strong and it was raining," he said.
Another homeless man was turned away later that afternoon.
What was the reaction?
As news spread on social media, there was outrage at the shelter's decision.
Typhoon Hagibis Slams Into Japan After Landslides, Floods and a Quake
Typhoon Hagibis, Japan’s largest storm in decades, lashed the country’s northeast early Sunday morning, just hours after hitting the Tokyo region with heavy rain and high winds that forced many residents to move to evacuation centers. Record rains flooded rivers, pushed dams to their limits and caused several landslides. An earthquake measuring 5.7 magnitude also shook Chiba, east of Tokyo, early Saturday evening.One death was reported in a cyclone in Chiba, and NHK, the public broadcaster, reported that another person died after a landslide crushed his home in Tomioka City in Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo.
"Is this a country that's going to host the Olympics in Tokyo? [in 2020]" asked one Twitter user. "People from abroad would see this and think this is a terrible country."
The San'ya Workers' Welfare Centre, a charity, responding by opening as a shelter on Saturday night.
But others were less sympathetic, suggesting "smelly" or "mentally ill" homeless people should only be allowed into shelters if there was a separate space.
© Getty Images Shinzo Abe speaking in parliament earlier this month Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was asked about the case in parliament and said "evacuation centres should let anyone in who has come to evacuate".
"We will look into the facts and take appropriate measures," he added.
The Taito ward said it would review its procedures to help people without addresses in the ward.
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Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo, Japan, on Oct. 12, leaving a trail of destruction as it moved north and killing at least 23 people. A total of 27,000 military personnel were deployed for relief operations. The storm weakened and moved away from land the following day.
Japan sends in thousands of troops after massive typhoon hammers Tokyo
Japan sends in thousands of troops after massive typhoon hammers TokyoA powerful Typhoon Hagibis is approaching Japan and grew from a tropical storm to a category 5 storm in less than a day. It will bring 2 feet of rain and damaging winds to the Tokyo area this weekend, and Japan's government warned people to stockpile supplies and evacuate before it's too dangerous. The storm's center passed over an uninhabited island in the Marianas, but strong winds could continue to threaten islands in the region even as the storm moves away. Forecasts show the storm gradually weakening throughout the week as it moves north toward Japan.
(Pictured) A man pushes a wheelbarrow after clearing belongings from a property that was damaged by flooding caused by Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 15 in Hoyasu near Nagano, Japan.
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A vehicle sits in front of a home destroyed by Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 15, in Nagano.
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Residents remove muddy items from their flood-damaged home in Nagano on Oct. 15.
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A man bikes past houses, in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture, Japan on Oct. 15.
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Firefighters pump water from a flooded area in Nagano on Oct. 15.
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A home destroyed by Typhoon Hagibis is surrounded by floodwaters on Oct. 15, in Nagano.
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A man talks on his phone in the doorway of a convenience store as he clears damaged goods, in Hoyasu near Nagano on Oct. 15.
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Electricity workers work in a neighborhood on Oct. 15, in Nagano.
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A soldier from Japan's Self Defence Force searches an apple orchard for bodies, on Oct. 15 in Hoyasu near Nagano.
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A man surveys damages at an apple orchard on, Oct. 15, in Nagano.
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Local residents sit in a boat as they are rescued from a flooded residential area following Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 13, in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture.
Elderly Japan woman rescued from Typhoon Hagibis dies after falling from helicopter; storm kills at least 33
An elderly woman was one of the more than 30 who have died in Japan from the devastating Typhoon Hagibis, officials said. According to local reports, the woman in her 70s died after she fell more than 131 feet while she was being placed in a rescue helicopter.The Tokyo Fire Department said the woman had not been strapped in properly while being airlifted in Iwaki City in Fukushima prefecture, a northern area devastated by the typhoon, Sky News reported.
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A man pushes his bike past an upturned car in a road that was flooded during Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 14 in Nagano.
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A grandmother and granddaughter play together in a refuge center for people displaced by Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 14 in Nagano.
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Vehicles are partially submerged on the forecourt of a used car dealership that was flooded after being hit by Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 14 in Nagano.
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Rescue workers sit in the back of a truck as it drives on a road that was flooded by Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 14 in Nagano.
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A family eat at an evacuation shelter in Nagano on Oct. 14.
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Rescue personnel carry out a rubber dinghy from the water during search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano on Oct. 14.
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Firefighters carry boxes containing relief goods for evacuees in an area that was flooded by Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 14 in Marumori, Miyagi.
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Police officers search an area by boat that was flooded by Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 14 in Marumori, Miyagi.
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A boy takes fruit at an evacuation shelter in Nagano on Oct. 14.
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Workers prepare to drain water from an area that was flooded by Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 14 in Marumori, Miyagi.
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A flooded shop is seen near the Chikuma River in Nagano on Oct. 14.
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A woman is rescued by police officers in an area that was flooded by Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 14 in Marumori, Miyagi.
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Residents bring out their belongings from their houses in the Hoyasu area, flooded and devastated by Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano Prefecture, on Oct. 14.
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A police checks on a flooded street in Kawagoe City, on Oct. 14.
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Overturned vehicles sit on the side of a muddy road in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano, on Oct. 14.
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Residents are rescued by Self-Defense Forces in Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture, on Oct. 14.
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A volunteer helps clean up in Kawagoe City, on Oct. 14.
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Residents clear mud from a street at the flooded area in Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture, on Oct. 14.
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Residents move household items outside their homes in flood-hit area in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture on Oct. 14.
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Rescue workers carry a rubber dinghy as they search a flooded area during the aftermath of Hagibis, in Nagano Prefecture, on Oct. 14.
After Typhoon Hagibis, Dramatic Rescues of Residents Trapped by Floods
KAWAGOE, JAPAN — One by one, the boats arrived, having crossed a lake that did not exist the day before. KAWAGOE, JAPAN — One by one, the boats arrived, having crossed a lake that did not exist the day before. They carried precious cargo: old-age patients rescued from a flooded nursing home in an exurb of Tokyo.
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A car is seen partially submerged in a flooded area of Nagano Prefecture, on Oct. 14.
Japan typhoon death toll rises to 66 as hopes for missing fade
Japan typhoon death toll rises to 66 as hopes for missing fadeKORIYAMA, Japan (Reuters) - The death toll in the worst typhoon to hit Japan for decades climbed to 66 on Tuesday as rescuers slogged through mud and debris in an increasingly grim search for the missing, and as thousands of homes remained without power or water.
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Rescue workers search a flooded area of Nagano Prefecture, on Oct. 14.
These 3 men decide when PG&E shuts off power to millions
Infuriated Californians who lost power in PG&E's wildfire safety shut-offs earlier this month have been wondering: Who exactly made the final call to cut power? The three names were revealed in a filing made to California utility regulators Thursday. The report indicated that the three men are Michael Lewis, senior vice president of electric operations, Sumeet Singh, vice president of asset and risk management, and Ahmad Ababneh, vice president of electric operations on major projects and programs.
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Rescue helicopters fly over a flooded area, in Nagano Prefecture, on Oct. 14.
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Elderly people are evacuated from a flooded nursing home and moved to another facility in Nagano, on Oct. 13.
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Japan players observe a minute's silence for the victims of Typhoon Hagibis before a Rugby World Cup match against Scotland, on Oct. 13 in Yokohama.
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A group of men wearing chest-high waders check the condition of their office in a flooded street of Nagano, on Oct. 13.
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A man sorts through the debris of a building that was destroyed by a tornado shortly before the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 13, in Chiba.
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People rest in the evacuation centre for affected by the flood after Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 13.
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Boys clear mud from a road that was flooded during Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 13, in Kawasaki.
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Buildings lie in ruins after they were hit by a tornado shortly before the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 13, in Chiba.
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Search and rescue crews sort through the debris of a building destroyed by a tornado shortly before the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, on Oct. 13, in Chiba.
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This aerial view shows flooded homes beside the collapsed bank of the Chikuma river in Nagano, Nagano prefecture on Oct. 13, one day after Typhoon Hagibis swept through central and eastern Japan.
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A local resident is rescued by a Japan Self-Defence Force helicopter from residential areas flooded by the Chikuma river, in Nagano, central, Oct. 13.
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This aerial view shows fire department vehicles pumping out water to drain the area from flooding beside the Abukuma river in Date, Fukushima prefecture on Oct. 13.
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A rescue worker swims as he checks around a flooded residential area on Oct. 13 in Kawasaki.
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People queue at a train station after Rugby World Cup match between Canada and Namibia was cancelled on Oct. 13 in Morioka.
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A Shinkansen bullet train rail yard is seen flooded due to heavy rains on Oct. 13 in Nagano.
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This aerial view shows a damaged train bridge over the swollen Chikuma river on Oct. 13 in Ueda, Nagano.
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Vehicles sit partially submerged in floodwater on Oct. 13 in Sano, Tochigi.
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Slideshow by photo services
'A visible libertarian streak'
Analysis by Yuko Kato, BBC News, Tokyo
Most of 1,126 homeless people in Tokyo dwell in parks, on the streets, and by the river.
Rarely do they mingle with the rest of the population - but the typhoon brought them to the forefront of our consciousness.
On Saturday night, as the torrential rain and huge gusts of wind were coursing through Tokyo, word began to spread about the shelter in Taito.
Many people were immediately outraged. On the other hand, some voiced concerns about hygiene, while others were concerned about the homeless people's mental condition.
Some were simply scared to share the same space with them.
Social media also showed up the libertarian streak that has become quite visible in Japanese public opinion. Some said the homeless shouldn't benefit from public services because they don't pay taxes.
Many rejected this - not just in terms of human decency - but also pragmatically, as the homeless do pay taxes when they buy something.
How many homeless people are there in Japan?
According to a government survey in January, there were 4,555 homeless people (4,253 male, 171 female, 131 unknown) in Japan.
That was 422 people (8.5%) fewer than the previous fiscal year.
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Among all the 47 prefectures, Tokyo had the most (1,126 people), Osaka was second (1,064), followed by Kanagawa (899).
According to the Tokyo government survey from the same period, the Shinjuku ward had the most homeless people (117 people, seven fewer than a year before).
The Taito ward was second with 61 people (69 fewer than the previous year).
These 3 men decide when PG&E shuts off power to millions .
Infuriated Californians who lost power in PG&E's wildfire safety shut-offs earlier this month have been wondering: Who exactly made the final call to cut power? The three names were revealed in a filing made to California utility regulators Thursday. The report indicated that the three men are Michael Lewis, senior vice president of electric operations, Sumeet Singh, vice president of asset and risk management, and Ahmad Ababneh, vice president of electric operations on major projects and programs.
Correction: October 6, 2019 This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of a book written by Benedict Giamo. It is “On the Bowery: Confronting Homelessness in American Society," not “On the Bowery: Confronting Homelessness in America."A police van idled and a single piece of yellow caution tape flapped from a nearby tree as Benjamin Vanbrackle pulled his shirt down to show the fresh scar that wrapped around his neck to the top of his chest. 
After four days, the police were still struggling to identify one of the four homeless men who were brutally killed in Chinatown on Saturday, and questions abounded about how the others ended up sleeping on the streets where they lost their lives. Investigators generally face significant hurdles in finding information on homeless people who die, in part because they lack an address that can be used to find records and relatives. It’s been no different with this case. 
Typhoon Hagibis, Japan’s largest storm in decades, lashed the country’s northeast early Sunday morning, just hours after hitting the Tokyo region with heavy rain and high winds that forced many residents to move to evacuation centers. Record rains flooded rivers, pushed dams to their limits and caused several landslides. An earthquake measuring 5.7 magnitude also shook Chiba, east of Tokyo, early Saturday evening.One death was reported in a cyclone in Chiba, and NHK, the public broadcaster, reported that another person died after a landslide crushed his home in Tomioka City in Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. 
Japan sends in thousands of troops after massive typhoon hammers TokyoA powerful Typhoon Hagibis is approaching Japan and grew from a tropical storm to a category 5 storm in less than a day. It will bring 2 feet of rain and damaging winds to the Tokyo area this weekend, and Japan's government warned people to stockpile supplies and evacuate before it's too dangerous. The storm's center passed over an uninhabited island in the Marianas, but strong winds could continue to threaten islands in the region even as the storm moves away. Forecasts show the storm gradually weakening throughout the week as it moves north toward Japan. 
An elderly woman was one of the more than 30 who have died in Japan from the devastating Typhoon Hagibis, officials said. According to local reports, the woman in her 70s died after she fell more than 131 feet while she was being placed in a rescue helicopter.The Tokyo Fire Department said the woman had not been strapped in properly while being airlifted in Iwaki City in Fukushima prefecture, a northern area devastated by the typhoon, Sky News reported. 
KAWAGOE, JAPAN — One by one, the boats arrived, having crossed a lake that did not exist the day before. KAWAGOE, JAPAN — One by one, the boats arrived, having crossed a lake that did not exist the day before. They carried precious cargo: old-age patients rescued from a flooded nursing home in an exurb of Tokyo. 
Japan typhoon death toll rises to 66 as hopes for missing fadeKORIYAMA, Japan (Reuters) - The death toll in the worst typhoon to hit Japan for decades climbed to 66 on Tuesday as rescuers slogged through mud and debris in an increasingly grim search for the missing, and as thousands of homes remained without power or water. 
Infuriated Californians who lost power in PG&E's wildfire safety shut-offs earlier this month have been wondering: Who exactly made the final call to cut power? The three names were revealed in a filing made to California utility regulators Thursday. The report indicated that the three men are Michael Lewis, senior vice president of electric operations, Sumeet Singh, vice president of asset and risk management, and Ahmad Ababneh, vice president of electric operations on major projects and programs. 
Murderous Rampage Reveals Perils for the City’s Street Homeless 
Four Deaths, Four Mysteries: Why Were They on the Street? 
Typhoon Hagibis Slams Into Japan After Landslides, Floods and a Quake 
Japan sends in thousands of troops after massive typhoon hammers Tokyo 
Elderly Japan woman rescued from Typhoon Hagibis dies after falling from... 
After Typhoon Hagibis, Dramatic Rescues of Residents Trapped by Floods 
Japan typhoon death toll rises to 66 as hopes for missing fade 
These 3 men decide when PG&E shuts off power to millions 
