The number of people officially enumerated as living on the streets in Japan has been consistently decreasing since 2003. As of January 2020, there were 3 992 unsheltered people counted on a single night, which is about

16% of the peak in 2003. In contrast, in the US 226 080 people were counted as ‘unsheltered’ on a single night in 2020 and this number has been consistently increasing since 2015. This paper will focus on one cause of this difference, the respective public assistance systems in the US and Japan. The main public assistance system in Japan, Seikatsu-Hogo (Livelihood Protection) is argued to be a major factor driving the decline in the number of people living unsheltered there. But the characteristics of the Livelihood Protection programme that have contributed to this decline in street homelessness have not been examined in detail. We argue that three characteristics of Japan’s public assistance programme are at the core of its success in addressing street homelessness 1) generality, 2) comprehensiveness, and 3) expeditiousness. We also provide an overview of some important shortcomings of the programme. Clarifying how Japan has been able to reduce street homelessness provides insights for measures to address street homelessness in the US and other countries.