'Working poor' rally in Sendai to call attention to their plight

'Working poor' rally in Sendai to call attention to their plight

SENDAI, Japan - Holding a banner that says ''Poverty No, Poverty No,'' participants in an antipoverty rally in Sendai demonstrate in the streets of this northern Japan city on Feb. 9 to call attention to the situation of the ''working poor'' in Japan. Hiroki Bito, head of a nationwide NGO that organized the rally, said most of the so-called ''Netcafe refugees'' in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities come from Tohoku and other localities with few employment opportunities.

Philippines populates biggest isle it claims in Spratlys

Philippines populates biggest isle it claims in Spratlys

THITU ISLAND, Spratly Islands - Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon (3rd from R) and other residents disembark from a Filipino navy transport ship (back) on a beach on Thitu Island in the South China Sea on May 31, 2012. Thitu Island, known locally as Pag-Asa, is home to an estimated 13 Filipino families. Thitu Island is the seat of government of Kalayaan municipality, comprising around 95 islands, cays, shoals and reefs that the Philippines claims in the disputed Spratly Archipelago.

Philippines populates biggest isle it claims in Spratlys

Philippines populates biggest isle it claims in Spratlys

THITU ISLAND, Spratly Islands - Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon speaks to a reporter on Thitu Island in the South China Sea on May 31, 2012. Thitu Island, known locally as Pag-Asa, is home to an estimated 13 Filipino families. Thitu Island is the seat of government of Kalayaan municipality, comprising around 95 islands, cays, shoals and reefs that the Philippines claims in the disputed Spratly Archipelago.

'Working poor' rally in Sendai to call attention to their plight

'Working poor' rally in Sendai to call attention to their plight

SENDAI, Japan - Holding a banner that says ''Poverty No, Poverty No,'' participants in an antipoverty rally in Sendai demonstrate in the streets of this northern Japan city on Feb. 9 to call attention to the situation of the ''working poor'' in Japan. Hiroki Bito, head of a nationwide NGO that organized the rally, said most of the so-called ''Netcafe refugees'' in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities come from Tohoku and other localities with few employment opportunities. (Kyodo)