The labor ministry will conduct its first survey ever on the living conditions of day laborers with no fixed residence who stay at Internet cafes overnight, ministry officials said Thursday.

Experts say the customers, dubbed "Net cafe refugees," are becoming more visible in the 24-hour facilities in tandem with the rise in the number of "working poor," those who have jobs but cannot escape poverty. The issue has become a high-profile social problem despite public denials that the gap between rich and poor is growing.

"We need to grasp the reality before studying whether any assistance is necessary, and if so, what kind," said an official from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

The survey will begin within the fiscal year.

Some of the cafes provide individual cabins with computers and reclining chairs, as well as cheap meals. A customer can stay overnight for 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen, which is cheaper than capsule hotels.

Experts also say many young day workers end up at Net cafes because, for example, they cannot afford rent on their low salaries. In the past, such people stayed at flophouses.

The Japan Complex Cafe Association, a group of Internet cafe owners, estimates there are about 2,800 of the facilities nationwide.