It is important for the municipal governments to cooperate not only with environmental departments, but also with social welfare departments and social welfare councils.

A spokesperson for the internal affairs ministry's Administrative Management Bureau, referring to hoarder houses (whose owners let rubbish pile up inside and outside). A survey on hoarder houses nationwide shows that a majority of the owners either suffer from health or economic problems or don't want to resolve the problem.

© Asahi Shimbun