Sanya street life under the Heisei recession

Continued recession in Japan since 1991 has resulted in deteriorating living standards in slum districts such as Sanya in eastern Tokyo, Japan, which are inhabited by day laborers. The doya-gai, which accommodates day laborers, is now over-populated with unemployed workers who rely on the social welfare system to provide them with sustainable income and security. Laborers in the doya-gai of Sanya have formed a union affiliated to the National Union of Day Laborers to emphasize the importance of self-help and solidarity.