American troops and a Tokyo church serve meals to about 180 homeless people at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan

About 180 people came to Ueno Park in Tokyo for a free meal on March 15, 2024, at a homeless outreach project organized by the Yokota Air Base chapel and a local church.

Sixteen service members and two Air Force spouses joined 40 members of the End of The Earth Mission Church in Tokyo to feed and clothe homeless people at the park, one of the city’s most popular. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alex Cook-Ransdell, a volunteer organizer, told Stars and Stripes during the three-hour event that the work connects the military volunteers more closely with Japanese locals. “It makes the people who volunteer from the church happy; it makes us happy for what we do with the military. Overall, it is a good experience,” he said.

The number served that day equaled about half of the 402 homeless people in Tokyo, according to the metropolitan government’s website. Tokyo has a population of 13.5 million people. Across Japan, a January 2023 nationwide survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirmed 3,000 homeless people.

Advocates for homeless people say that figure likely understates the problem because it does not capture people who have nowhere else to sleep but businesses such as internet cafes. The website for Big Issue Japan, a magazine sold by homeless individuals to earn income, said that if these “internet cafe refugees” were added, “it is believed that there are a great number of people that are spending the night at unstable living environments even now.”

For the March 15 event, the base chapel and the mission collected more than 2,900 pounds of food, clothing and other supplies, Cook-Ransdell said. The church group erected tents in the park for food preparation. Those waiting for food gathered in a separate space to hear a message from church members before lining up for a meal near the tents. Passersby stopped to watch as volunteers unloaded rice, snacks and freeze-dried foods, and volunteers washed and dried dishes when the meal ended.

Cook-Ransdell said the number of homeless people appears to be growing despite Tokyo’s relatively low official count. “Today was probably the most we have had,” he said. “Even from December to now, it’s been significantly higher.”

Shim Nayoung, a mission leader, said the church hosts similar events for Tokyo’s homeless people four days a week at three locations in the city, including Ueno Park. “It is not special to be homeless; anyone has the possibility to become homeless,” she said.

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