Shibuya Free Association
for the Right to Housing and
Well-being of the HOMELESS
(NOJIREN)
Founding Statement
Japanese Page
As this self-proclaimed "advanced nation" known as
Japan approaches the end of the twentieth century, we find
ourselves stripped of shelter and denied the means for a decent
life. It is with anger that we, who have been condemned to live
on the streets as "the wretched of the earth", announce
the founding of the Shibuya Free Association for the Right to
Housing and Well-being of the HOMELESS ("NOJIREN").
Our existence is a reality forced upon us by this society. Our
unity represents a future that will smash this reality. We come
together today so that we can seize, for ourselves and through
our own power, what all people have a claim to.
What is NOJIREN?
NOJIREN is not seeking charity. While we will oppose all
forced evictions, our goal is not simply to defend living on the
streets. The homeless themselves are by no means satisfied with
mere day-to-day survival on the streets.
We have no illusions that we can achieve our goals by simply
repeating the call for "rights". NOJIREN is not an
organization that restricts its activities to the region of
Shibuya. NOJIREN is neither a committee nor a representative
body.
What is NOJIREN? NOJIREN is an organization formed by the
homeless themselves. Our name, "Shibuya Free Association
for the Right to Housing and Well-being of the HOMELESS",
summarizes our beliefs, our perspectives, and our goals.
While we do not restrict our activities to the Shibuya
neighborhood of Tokyo, our name includes "Shibuya"
because so many of the homeless are here and because our
activities will center on Shibuya's Miyashita Park, which will
serve as a base for reaching out to the homeless in surrounding
neighborhoods.
The life that we seek is not simply the right to make it
through another day but the right to a fulfilling, meaningful
life. It is not simply the right to survive but the right to a
decent life, which includes the right to employment.
Suitable housing that provides privacy and shelter from the
elements is a basic necessity and is therefore one of our primary
goals. Our activities will also revolve around establishing the
right to not be evicted as well as the right to housing. The
right to housing is a notion that has not gained wide currency in
Japan (or so the politicians would like people to believe). It
may be that even among ourselves the practical consequences of
the right to housing have not been fully grasped. Nevertheless,
we seek to reclaim the very notion of rights and, through our
actions, make the right to housing a socially accepted fact.
We will take full control of our lives through our own power.
Rights become a reality when people struggle to establish those
rights, and it is for this struggle that we come together as a
free association. Our free association stands in direct contrast
with organizations based on rigid unity and top-down, centralized
authority. The homeless themselves will be actively taking on the
organizing, and supporters will work alongside the homeless as
equals. Those who come together in the interests of the homeless
will form links on the basis of their own free will, and all
decisions will be made on the basis of equal footing between the
homeless and their supporters.
What does NOJIREN seek?
We seek a society where homelessness is imposed on no one, a
society where people are not forced into living situations they
do not desire.
This involves forming strong bonds between the homeless
themselves as well as between the homeless and their supporters.
Furthermore, we will also be seeking connections with others,
both the currently and formerly homeless throughout Tokyo, as
well as nationwide and overseas.
It is an outrage that people who lack alternatives are denied
even the right to live on the streets. For whatever reason, some
may actually prefer living on the streets. We support people's
right to live where they want, but our desire is to make more
options available. We will oppose all attempts by the government
and local residents to divide and conquer by separating the
"good homeless," who are compliant to their demands,
from the "bad homeless".
We have no future unless we can defend the lives of those
around us who are homeless. This is where our struggle has to
begin. Our thoughts and actions will be based solely on the
interests of the homeless themselves. Rights cannot be achieved
without struggle.
What is NOJIREN doing?
It goes without saying that the government's implementation of
public assistance is woefully inadequate, while social workers
consistently treat the homeless with contempt. Public assistance
programs should be dealing with the issues facing the homeless
such as medical care, housing, and employment, but the government
only provides excuses while it sits on its hands. These are
life-or-death matters for the homeless, particularly for the sick
and elderly, and we intend to force action from the government
regarding these issues.
The "Self-Help Center", which is being developed as
the local government's response for the homeless in the Shinjuku
area, is potentially useful in dealing with problems that are
currently being ignored by public assistance. However, this plan
is strictly limited to the Shinjuku area, and homeless from
outside Shinjuku are being turned away. If this exclusionary
policy continues, it must be concluded that the Self-Help Center
was only meant as a stopgap measure for the purpose of avoiding a
meaningful response to the issues facing the homeless. We call
for an expansion of these self-help centers throughout Tokyo
while also calling for overall improvements in services such as
employment assistance.
We are looking toward the entire city of Tokyo. Beginning with
Shibuya, we seek to build links with the homeless of the Yoyogi,
Aoyama, and Ebisu neighborhoods, and then onto Shinjuku, Sanya,
and the homeless throughout Tokyo.
The homeless are faced with a rigid system that makes it
impossible for them to escape from their predicament. Despite
this, much of the general public is made to believe that the
homeless are to blame for their own problems. The struggle
against this system can only be led by the homeless themselves
and those who work directly with them.
Likewise, the only ones who can accurately communicate this
are again the homeless themselves and those who work directly
with them. We must raise our voices from the streets and smash
the self-serving negative image of the homeless fabricated by the
government and the media.
We call out to all our brothers and sisters on the streets to
come together by their own free will and join us in our fight for
to win better conditions for ourselves.
We will defend our own lives. We will build our own futures.
It is time to stand up for our rights.
April 29, 1998
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