Student Links: Homeless in Japan

December 9, 2008 by Paul

釜ヶ崎のまち再生フォーラム(Kamagasaki Community Regeneratino Forum)

Homeless issues in Japan

Since 1990s the number of rough sleepers in Japan has been increasing. According to the survey conducted in large cities in the country from 1998 to 2000, the number reached to approximately 20,000. In recent years, rough sleepers can be seen in provincial cities or even in smaller cities; thus, the actual number should be much more than 20,000. Also we should note that the survey only counted those who sleep on streets, in parks, and along riversides; this attributes to the terminological difference---meaning of "homeless"---between Japanese and English. In Japanese, "homeless" does not include those who are about to be evicted from their houses and those who live in the houses in inappropriate condition.
One of the distinct characteristics on Japanese homeless is that single middle-aged men are the majority; this fact is deeply associated with "yoseba ". According to the surveys done by Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Osaka City Government, most of rough sleepers used to stay at "yoseba" and the majority were employed in the construction industry. During the 60s to 70s---a time of intensive economic growth in Japan, numerous day laborers gathered from all over the country. When economic stagnation arrived in the late 1980s and 1990s, those day laborers became "homeless"---unable to pay for staying at doss-houses. Today, aged and/or diseased laborers who are unable to work have no choice but to live on streets or in parks.

Location / Population / Area

Kamagasaki is a distinctive laborers' community which locates itself in the middle of Osaka City -Nishinari Ward- and houses approximately 20,000 single day laborers with around 190 cheap lodging houses . (Map of Osaka City, Vicinity map for Airin District, Table 1)

Table 1 Overview of Kamagasaki (Airin District)
		Year of the survey/notes
Area	0.62 sqkm
Number of cheap lodging houses	Approximately 160	May 2003 (total accommodation capacity-17,000 people)
Population	Approximately 30,000
Effective job supply at Airin Employ Service Agency	11,491	End of March 2003
Average age	54.5	February 2000
Number of rough sleepers (Nishinari Ward)	1,910	August 1999(total in Osaka City-8,660)
Number of patients	5,300	2000
Anonymous death toll (Nishinari Ward)	14	2000
Welfare Apartment and Supportive Housing	Welfare Apt. 40, Supportive Housing 9	May,2003
Welfare recipients	4979	End of February, 2003

Source: documents of agencies related to Airin District

History and Recent Situation

Kamagasaki originates in Nago Town (Naga Town) known as a yoseba from the early Edo Era and a slum area from pre-modern times; Nago Town moved to Kamagasaki in the occasion of the 5th Domestic Industrial Exhibition in 1903. Kamagasaki once vanished after the air raid on Osaka; however, it restarted as a black market and the massive yoseba, as it is today, was formed during the time of intensive economic growth. Kamagasaki functioned as the laborers' market to support Japanese economy (especially for the construction industry) at least till 1991 when bubble economy ended, even through there were many problems.
However in the post-bubble economy years, economic recession and aging of the laborers (average 55 years old) resulted in several thousand rough sleepers around the area. Around half of the estimated 12,000 rough sleepers covering the area of Osaka City seem to have had experience as day laborers in Kamagasaki.
There were other problems related to the increase of rough sleepers. For instance, the anonymous death toll and prevalence rates for tuberculosis in Kamagasaki are much higher than for other places; also there were problems such as alcohol dependency and drug dependency. Besides, degradation of the local environment and decline of the local economy from low consumption rate are serious problems in the area.

Yoseba: Where day laborers seek for their daily jobs to get hired. The term "Yoseba" originally came from "Ninsoku Yoseba" at Ishikawa-island in Edo (Tokyo), known as the shelter (or rehab center) for rough sleepers and later also for petty criminals to rehabilitate established in 1790.
There are ways to categorize yosebas as follows: Ones developed from traditional slums (Kamagasaki in Osaka, San'ya in Tokyo etc.) and ones newly developed after World War II (Kotobuki Town in Yokohama, Sasajima in Nagoya etc.). There are also yosebas that have flophouse quarters (Kamagasaki, San'ya, Kotobuki Town etc.) and ones that do not (Sasajima etc.).

Cheap lodging houses: Cheap and simple hotels based on hotel business law used as semi-permanent lodging for day laborers. Day laborers call them as "Doya". In San'ya (Tokyo), there are quite a few large-scale bedhouses; on the other hand, in Kamagasaki (Osaka) most doyas were rebuilt into high-rise and modern budget hotels during the time of bubble economy. In the latter cases, around 70% rooms are private rooms occupying less then 5㎡ and each room furnishes an air conditioner and a TV. Also the budget hotels have a big shared bath and an elevator. The average fee to stay one night is around 1,500 yen; recently there are some places drop the price into about 1,000 yen

The History of Kamagasaki (Illustrated story) new

What is the KCRF?

Contact

Secretariat, Kamagasaki Community Regeneration Forum
C/o Kamagasaki eggs
(Shared office for NPOs working on Kamagasaki community development)
2-2-16 Taishi, Nishinari Ward
Osaka City, 55-0004, Japan

Tel:	+81-(0)90-8448-0315 (Sen Arimura's cellular phone)
	+81-(0)6-6641-0131 (Work place of Sen Arimura)
Fax:	+81-(0)6-6641-0297 (Work place of Sen Arimura)
Email	kama-yan@sun-inet.or.jp

If it is an urgent mail, please send to:
Sen Arimura
C/o Nishinari Labor Welfare Center
1-3-44 Haginochaya, Nishinari Ward
Osaka City, 557-0004, Japan

入口(Enter)

日本語

HERE IS THE STORY OF ONE NPO WORKER IN KAMAGASAKI (from THE WORLD AT WORK by JOHN SPIRI)

Matsushige Itou, 55
NPO Staff Worker

What does your NPO do?
We support not only homeless people but individuals on the edge as well. Many have lost their job because of the economic downturn, or other reasons. If using the broader classification of homeless, there’s probably 10,000 in Osaka. Our area is Kamagasaki, inside Osaka city. It’s a laborer’s town.

What kind of employment program do you offer?
Mainly we register individuals for jobs. Last year we operated under the national budget; this year the money comes from Osaka prefecture and Osaka city. That change means our budget was cut from 900,000,000 yen to about 700,000,000 yen. This is a significant slash. With the amount of money we have available only 199 individuals can work. Most homeless make 30,000 yen a month, on average.

Do they receive food handouts?
Some Christian and other groups give out food in parks. Convenient stores and restaurants like McDonald’s donate old food. It’s perfectly edible but past the selling date. There are quite a few convenient stores in Osaka. That helps. In some cases they sell the old food really cheap, like just 100 yen.

Why do the homeless become homeless, in general?
In America and Europe I often hear that drugs are a big problem with homeless. In Japan it’s quite different. There isn’t a drug problem.

Alcohol?
There is alcoholism but the number is not high. The main reason is economic, the bubble burst. The situation changed dramatically in the 1970s. Many salarymen lost their jobs and were left with inadequate funds, inadequate pensions. When people are on the edge of homelessness it doesn’t take much—an illness, an injury, a personal problem. This is the mistake of the government, to not have programs in place to take care of them. If the government could create jobs, they’d all want to work. With globalization the companies are pulling out. In Japan now there are no large factories. Middle aged people have no places to work. Even when there is a modern factory now, where they used to employ 500 workers, no they only hire 100 due to mechanization.

It’s often said that homeless choose that lifestyle. To what extent is that true?
It’s a rationalization. Most people want to blame the victim. The cause of homelessness lack of employment. People want to be in charge of their own lives so many would rather eke out a living on the streets rather than take handouts. The interviewers don’t look at the causes of homelessness.

For a personal question, why did you want to do this job?
I didn’t want to do it! (laughs) I started living here in 1976 while working as a day laborer myself. That work is too hard. The main reason I got the job was because I knew bookkeeping. Others didn’t have that experience so I got the job by default (laughs).

Are you satisfied?
I can’t say I am. The problems aren’t being solved unfortunately. Many homeless are dying.

What about the future?
I want to quit (laughs). I’d like to see the problems solved soon so the homeless can live a better life. The thinking of the entire society has to change. People need to understand that there just aren’t jobs. It’s a problem of how the tax money is used.

the end

Food Bank Japan
http://www.foodbankjapan.org

The food bank provides food to not only the homeless but struggling single parents and others in need. They also work to find long-term solutions to poverty and homelessness. Information is available at the website above and through Tengu Natural Foods, distributer of organic foods in Japan.

And some more Homeless Links

釜パト活動日誌