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NEWS ACTIVITIES
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MESSAGE AND PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE Through-the-Archipelago-March-of-the-Homeless from Peter Shimokawa
“Right for us, all deprived of and have-nots!!” Through-the-Archipelago-March-of-the-Homeless against unemployment and eviction. To every one of you, We will undergo Through-the-Archipelago-March-of-the-Homeless from June 24th. This act aims at the protesting against the contemporary situation that imposes unemployment and lives on the streets, and appealing by the poor to the head leaders of the “developed” countries at the G8 summit, who progress globalization, other than encountering homeless comrades in various places, exchanging experiences of each others, and encouraging each other. We will carry this act out with solidarity among the poor all over the world. For this purpose your support (documentary, if possible) is to be needed at any costs, with which we present voices from all the poor in Japan to the government, the administrator, the media, and the comrades in various places on occasion. We are very much appreciating, if you give supports of our act, Through-the-Archipelago-March-of-the-Homeless. Whoever, individuals or organizations, and besides any form of documentary supports are welcomed at any time. WE NEED YOUR HELP!! All correspondence should be sent to: E-mail: pmshimo@aa.mbn.or.jp (Peter Shimokawa) Fax: 81-3-5406-5254 (Office of Nojiren) ****
Our Statement ******* Rights for all, who
are deprived of !! We hope you'll pay attention to and support the upcoming
Through-the-Archipelago-March-of-the-Homeless-People against eviction and
unemployment!
To All! To every one of you who are left stranded on the streets, battling against poverty in hopes of a better future! We, Nojiren (Shibuya Free Association for the Right to Housing and Well-Being of the Homeless), are an organization that center around the metropolitan areas of Japan, namely Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, fighting for the liberation and emancipation of the homeless. We have recently built up a committee to undergo a Through-the-Archipelago-March-of-the-Homeless-People (esp. led by the fellows (homeless people) from Shibuya in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kita in Osaka) which is a demonstrative march from Tokyo throughout various places of the Archipelago in Japan into Okinawa for full month beginning the end of June until the end of July. <The purpose> The purpose of this march is to focus on the following two points.
First, we will get in contact with comrades that are struggling on the streets and try to create a mutual bond between them and us. Today, the number of homeless people in Japan exceeds 20,000, creating a significant problem in contemporary society. Most of them live around the metropolitan areas, however many of the recent homeless dwell in suburbs and rural cities. This is a sign of increasing homelessness and is not just a problem for the big metropolitan cities any longer. Workers under unstable employment, for example construction, are the significant majority in this expansion of homelessness. Even more, with this current extended recession, it would be no surprise that many more, due to reasons such as debt, instability within the family, unemployment, etc., many more will be thrown out on the streets. Under normal circumstances the government would take some policy countermeasures to cope with this situation, but it becomes extremely difficult to maintain our basic rights in society once one of us become homeless. Many of the welfare centers of local governments do not take in them, even if they are sick or elder, due to the simple reason that they have no address. The government finally initiated a comprehensive measure to cope with this situation last year, however it is clear that it is not a high priority. Due to these circumstances, those involved (i.e. homeless people themselves) will go to the streets to visit fellows in various places, and talk about specific situation of each other and future views, encourage and support each other. Other than that, we are also willing to participate in the act of meal distribution program led by local volunteer groups. We believe that we can foster close bonds between the homeless comrades, not just conversation, through this act. Second, we intend to file complaint about the terrible conditions in society, and make an appeal to all of society through the means of marching throughout the country into Okinawa, focusing on the upcoming G8 summit, held there in July. Indeed these years, where the number of the homeless has grown drastically, the situation around them has been gradually improving, owing thanks to the action of various support groups and self helping groups. Because of this, the government has finally moved in order to come up with countermeasures. One can find changes - even if it is a gradual one- of the recognition, that the homeless themselves are not the sole ones to blame for the homelessness. And many seem to become conscious of the problems of the societal structure that need to be solved. But still in the view of the most part of society, discrimination and prejudice still exist, and moreover the administration has repeatedly undergone an eviction of the homeless people, with justification coming from complaints of nearby residents. Some are even attacked by juveniles, just as a target of "stress relief." The homelessness is originally the end result of low-skill, low wage workers who are an easy a target of lay-off, as they can be seen as temporary. The large capitalists, who grew fat under the sacrifices of these workers at the lower end of society, are focusing on "efficient" pursuit of profits, reducing personnel through so-called rationalization and industrial re-structuring. These are the causes of the major unemployment. The Japanese government manifested that they won't undergo any special unemployment measure officially. We claim against such ways, especially the way the labor administration neglect the situation of the vast unemployment and always impose the risk upon the workers. We, the homeless, have been discarded by the labor administration, besides losing jobs, we are also abandoned by the welfare administration in receiving no benefit through social security, and furthermore our life other than on the streets itself have been completely denied. We, the homeless, who have been deprived of the right to live as ordinary human-beings, managed to maintain our lives, by building up huts and community on some riverbeds or parks, sharing some works, and supplying foods somehow. We stand against any forms of compulsory expulsion, which ruin all or what little we have. HABITAT II in 1996 and also other international opinions never allow expulsions in any kind, that is forced and imposed without any alternative measure. Hence we strongly protest against the part of society that imposes unemployment and lives on the streets, and those that discriminate, expel, and attack the homeless. And to the administration, government, states, who approve of these circumstances, we are appealing for the rights to live as ordinary human being, including of existence, living, hosing, and employment.
The destination of our march is Okinawa, where the summit of the advanced countries is to be held. The neo-liberalistic policy led by these countries among them seems to expand poverty all over the world, and now the poverty population gets the greater part of the whole earth. Is the summit the ritual that contemplates further exploitations? We consider what are going on there as the issues not discussed enough. <The Situation in
Japan> Due to the continuation of the recession, Japan's unemployment rate has reached around 4.9%(3.5million). The number of those with livelihood protections is now over 1 million, day laborers 1.5million, and those working in irregular, unstable jobs (including part-time labor) have reached 10 million. But these horrendous numbers and statistics for this "economic superpower" is merely a prelude to the underlying problems in Japan's contemporary society. The reason lays within the "neo-liberalistic" ideology that has spread throughout, which is slowly but certainly depriving the basic rights of laborers to counter the decision making of the capitalists through labor unions. This is due to the fact that in this contemporary society, the labor unions themselves, along with the media, is unified in support this neo-liberialistic ideology, thus draining any power away from the ordinary laborers. Even more, in Japan one can find a situation where if laborer execute a strike, they are condemned by consumers (who actually laborers themselves), even while a considerable number of the laborers outside Japan are working towards regaining rights that have been deprived to them. Moreover, frustrations due to the restraint laborers are being disposed of as being an extreme act of nationalism and chauvinism. The military alliance with the United States has also been reinforced, along with the national anthem and the flag, even though they are symbolic of the armed aggression of the Asian countries during World War II. What's more, the eviction of foreigners, who have been consistently regarded as seditious factors in society throughout modern Japanese history, is strengthening. Besides, the present governor of Tokyo is a radical right nationalist, and it has come to a point where his extremist comments are actually winning popular support within the region. Similar politicians are also cutting social security, when there is a deficiency to begin with, endangering many lives of ordinary citizens whom have little to get by with. However there are proper movements by the deprived to regain their basic rights, which have been taken away by the self-centered, greedy capitalists who work under the name of "national interests." Globalization, which is pushing forward a distinct division in classification in how society is structured, one being the capitalistic "haves", and the other class being the laborers and homeless, deprived of their rights being the "have nots." The homeless and unemployed are the representation of the "have-nots" in Japan, and we must fight with the actual system that is pushing forward this phenomenon. To cope with this situation, which entail over 20,000 homeless and deprived citizens, we know, and do not support a government solution in which shady profits that have been attained with the sacrifice of the third world countries are used as "redistribution of wealth", as this would be contradictory by nature. What we will express with our existence in this global stage is to claim injustice to the constant monopoly the advanced countries maintain over the rights to the redistribution of wealth. <To Comrades,
those who are deprived of, all over the world> We already know what "globalization", which was led by "neo-liberalism", has brought about, and what NAFTA and MAI are attempting to do, and what OECD, WB and ADB have done. Capital, like a cancer cell, erodes regional basis of economic and cultural life. It also stimulates applause of national identity and the state's security policy as opposition to globalization. Today, it is found in many countries that governments are attempting to strengthen their power basis, contending 'crisis of nation state'. Therefore, we should take the people's initiative in breaking out "globalization". Today's "globalization" is "capitalistic globalization", which is initiated by the ideology of "neo-liberalism". For opposing to this movement, we need the global network of people's solidarity all over the world. We, those deprived of, in Japan, have decided to join this global network. It is natural that we can find the commonality among diverse social movements since economic inequality and cultural homogenization, driven by economic capitalization, have destroyed people's lives and environment in both "North" and "South". We demand the system preparation for "sustainable development", institutional reformation for the deterrence of speculative capital investment and offset of heavy debt for poor nations. We also claim the respect of basic humane rights of the socially weak and the ethnic minority, housing rights of the poor. We contend the collapse of all authoritarian regimes, decentralization of central power, democratization of politics and economy, deterrence of wars by trust building among people, and opening of knowledge, information and technology to the public. However, we first of all contend the respect of people's initiative that is our only fortune. As far as governors ignore us, make much use of us and throw us out, our opposition would not end. Yet, we will join the truly constructive space for discussion in order to actualize justice and fairness. We would appear in order to oppose to the power that attempts to hide us. Share your power and experience with us, oppressed people in Japan, which is the oppressor in the world. First of all, we as those deprived of have to appear! We proclaim that we will walk with those, who are deprived of, all over the world, and that accomplish Through-The-Archipelago-March for the Okinawa summit. Since modern
age, Japan and the US have deprived people and land of Okinawa.
In fact, governors, who still attempt to deprive people and the
environment, will carry out the summit here, which is quite symbolic for the
"developed" countries and us. Yet,
it is impossible for us to leave this situation just "symbolic". All considerate people! All comrades, who are deprived of, all over the world! Support and
pay attention to our action in Japan! Let's oppose to the worldwide control that drive people out to unemployment and homelessness, that repeat exclusion, compel and enlarge poverty and deprive people's lives and rights! Let's walk together in order to get the better future for those deprived of. Solidarity! <Schedule(－walk, ＝train, ～ship)> June 24(Sat) Shibuya－Heiwajima－ /25(Sun)/ 26(Mon) Yokohama－/ 27(Tue)Fujisawa－ / 28(Wed) Chigasaki－/ 29(Thu) Odawara = / 30(Fri) Shizuoka = July １ (Sat)/ 2(Sun)/ 3(Mon) Nagoya= / 4(Tue)Kyoto－/ 5(Wed) Takatsuki－ /6(Thu)/ 7(Fri) / 8(Sat)/ 9(Sun) Osaka－/ 10 (Mon) Amagasaki－ / 11(Tue) / 12(Wed) Kobe = / 13(Thu) Hiroshima = 14(Fri) Kokura = / 15(Sat) Hakata ～ 16(Sun) ～ / 22(Sat) Okinawa action / 24(Mon) leave Okinawa / 29(Sat) arrive in Shibuya
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