Tent Villages Spotlight Plight Of Japan's Unemployed

by Anthony Kuhn
National Public Radio
April 28, 2009

The current downturn is shaping up to be the worst since World War II for Japan, the world's second largest economy. Sony, Toyota, Canon and other major exporters have responded by cutting hundreds of thousands of jobs — mostly targeting temporary workers, who now make up one-third of Japan's workforce.

But in recent months, a grass-roots movement has emerged to help the temporary workers and focus public attention on their plight...