A temporary tent village set up at a central Tokyo park has drawn more than 300 people without jobs or homes since it was set up on New Year’s.

The "temp worker village" was launched in Hibiya Park on Wednesday in front of the Imperial Hotel, one of the country’s most luxurious hotels, to provide free food and shelter for homeless people including laid-off temporary workers who have been forced to leave accommodation provided by their employers.

A 47-year-old man who lost his job with a trucking company in Tokyo in November said, "I had been hopping from one friend’s home to another or to Internet cafes but I have almost reached the limit of my fatigue. I have even lost the energy to vent my anger at society."