ABSTRACT
The origin of the welfare corporation Airin-kai1 can be traced back to 1946. By the end of the Second World War Tokyo had been totally destroyed: hundreds and thousands of people were roaming around the streets searching for food, clothing and shelter. With subsidies from the Tokyo Metropolitan government, an old barrack in Nerima ward was refurbished by Mikaeri2 to take in the homeless, which marks formal birth of the institution. At that time, as the institution was operated under emergency measures, impoverished persons, whether single, married, orphaned, elderly or handicapped, all were living cheek by jowl.
