Subject: Voice from Osaka and Kobe
Everyone loves roses.
But in Osaka, many lives are in danger by its thorn.
We never want to see people suffer from discrimination...
We expect your awareness of human rights!
We believe in your national tradition of respect for fundamental human rights!
Dear Sir/Madam,
Hello. Sorry for sending you this message suddenly.
We are members of groups working for the right to housing and well-being of homeless people in Japan.
We want you to know something about upcoming World Rose Convention 2006 in Osaka and its affect for thousands of homeless people live in Osaka.
We also want to ask your urgent help for their situation.
May 2006, World Rose Convention will be held in Osaka.
Some parks in the city will be the venue of WRC, and lots of homeless people live in these parks (Utsubo park, Osaka-Castle park, Nakanoshima park etc).
These people are the victim of severe economic situation in Japan and they have to live in tents or shacks in order to survive (There are also lots of rough sleeper in the city street, parks, stations. Their living condition is even harder than those who live in tents).
Osaka city government has been reconstructing these parks for WRC (cutting and planting trees, building roads and parking lots etc).
And last October, Osaka city suddenly notified homeless people in Osaka-Castle park and Utsubo park to get out of the park, due to the full-reconstruction.
They gave only one or two month for deadline of eviction.
After deadline (Nov 30), city officers have been strongly pressuring and harassing homeless people to go out.
In worst case, administrative subrogation (a legal measure for eviction) can be carried out.
So far, self-organized associations of homeless people in these parks and their supporters have negotiated with city government about reconstruction of the park, to defend their rights to life.
But this time, Osaka city neglected these associations and unilaterally demanded them to get out of the parks.
As an alternative of eviction, Osaka city has been strongly trying to persuade homeless people to go to the "Shelter" or "Self Independent Center", but this is not at all the solution.
Once they are put in these accommodations, they have to abandon most of their belongings (only few luggage are permitted to have inside the shelter, and their tents will be destroyed immediately as an "illicit construct").
Its rooms are extremely small to live.
And there is virtually no assistance for outplacements.
(Unemployed people have been increasing in Japan. Once they lose job, finding another is much difficult. As for homeless people, situation is by far harder, of course)
Worst of all, this "shelter protection" is just a TEMPORARY measure.
All shelter in the parks are planned to close after three years (as for Osaka castle park, closure is planned in Dec 2005).
As for "Self Independent Center", one has to go out within three to six months.
After leaving, they have nothing to survive, losing their home and belongings.
As mentioned above,
Osaka city's welfare policy for homeless people is wholly inadequate.
At this moment, Osaka city is telling us that they won't change this policy.
Worse than this, Osaka city suddenly refused to negotiate with self-organized associations of homeless people.
The mere fact indicates how the city violates human / civil rights of homeless people.
Whenever international events took place in Japan (Soccer World Cup 2002, World Exposition 2004 in Nagoya, etc),
Japanese government has evicted homeless people one-sidedly for "landscaping".
By these brutal acts, we already know that Japanese government has not provided sufficient support for homeless people.
Currently, estimated number of homeless people in Japan is more than 30,000.
Evicted people have to live under severe Japanese winter.
Their lives will be getting harder, facing death on the street.
We hope to discuss and act with you to get upcoming convention fully succeeded,
and we also hope that this wonderful convention will not be held at the cost of people's lives.
Now it's possible!
[What you can do]
1) Send your message to Osaka city A.S.A.P.
Please ask them to advocate human rights of homeless people in the parks.
We've been campaigning against Osaka city, but they has not been in no hurry to breathe domestic voice in.
If you do nothing, the time you'll come to Osaka, homeless people will have already been cleared out...
[Address of Osaka city]
Junichi Seki (Mayor of Osaka City)
1-3-20, Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka-si, Japan
FAX 81-6-6202-6950
World Rose Convention 2006 in Osaka Executive Office
1-2-7-1206-2, Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka-si, Japan
FAX 81-6-6631-8741
office@worldrose-osaka2006.jp
