Japanese Billionaire Houses Needy Hawaiians in Mansions

A Japanese real-estate magnate plans to let homeless Hawaiian families live rent-free in eight of his mansions, reports the Associated Press.

Genshiro Kawamoto, a billionaire and one of the richest men in Japan, owns 22 homes in the upscale neighborhood of Kahala, in Hawaii. The new tenants will be able to stay in the homes for up to 10 years, and will only have to pay utility bills. He also gave each family $1,000 to help with the move.

Mr. Kawamoto drew fire in 2002 and 2004 for evicting tenants with short notice in properties he wanted to sell. And some neighbors criticized Mr. Kawamoto’s motives in moving low-income tenants to Kahala, saying he may be looking to drive down property values so he can buy up more real estate in the area.

“Everyone’s paying homage to him, but in reality, he’s the problem,” says Mark Blackburn, who lives in the neighborhood.

“The people who don’t want to live near Hawaiians should move,” says Mr. Kawamoto.

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