Social Distancing from the Problem of Japanese Homelessness Under Covid-19
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Volume 18 | Issue 18 | Number 4 | Article ID 5472 | Sep 15, 2020 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Social Distancing from the Problem of Japanese Homelessness under Covid-19 David H. Slater, Sara Ikebe home?” It’s a good question. When you are homeless, how do you ‘stay home’? Abstract: Of the many populations at risk in these corona times, the homeless are among Even under the best conditions, living homeless the most vulnerable. Without shelter, having to is a precarious proposition. Under Covid-19, it do without personal protective equipment, is a clear risk to one’s life, a “pre-existing often without health insurance and unable to condition” that increases vulnerability as limit contact with strangers, the risk ofseverely as any other factor. With no insurance, infection is very high. The emergency measures a lack of protective equipment, no access to taken by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government reliable information, and no chance of getting included the closure of many public spaces, tested all increase the risk of contracting the indoors and out, depriving them of access to virus; and if one catches it, these the few spaces of survival. This ethnographic circumstances increase the likelihood of article outlines how an older group of homeless serious consequences, including death. Many of men responded to the risk of infection and the men we will discuss here live on the street, inconsistent government efforts to address this others sleep in net cafes or all-night issue. Finally, we examine the response of civil restaurants when they have the chance. They society organizations to compensate forhave no way to create a secure boundary weakness of the government’s response. between themselves and the outside world, or even from each other. Even early on, the risk was clear; poverty “itself may be acting as a multiplier on the coronavirus’s spread and Keywords: Covid-19, vulnerable communities, deadliness” (Fisher & Bubola, 2020). Among homeless, CSO (civil society organizations) the poor, homelessness is an even worse situation (Fabian, 2020), a “horror on top of horror” (Ellis, 2020). While the precautions that we are all asked to take are onerous and Infection on the street anxiety producing, for the homeless population in Tokyo, or indeed, almost any city in the On an eerily deserted Saturday night in mid- world, these are impossible to follow, March in front of Shinjuku Station, West Exit, I productive only of fear, not hygiene, resulting was talking to a tall thin man, with a ruddy in exclusion not security. complexion from too many nights sleeping on the street, forced to live above an air grate to They cannot practice proper social distancing keep warm or under an awning to keep dry. He due to the decrease in number of public spaces was reading a discarded newspaper to a small now available to them in this state of group of other men. “It says that in order to emergency. But even before the Covid-19 avoid infection, we are supposed to stay warning, many would rather stay relatively home…. I wonder that means, for us? To stay close together for fear of harassment or abuse 1 18 | 18 | 4 APJ | JF by those they call “regular” (futsuu) people the Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, who has been otherwise non-homeless population. You can ‘shelter in praised for her relatively swift response, did place’ only if you have a shelter. But even the not produce a coordinated plan regarding ‘in place’ part of the directive is impossible for homeless, and other displaced populations. This many homeless, because most are constantly paper outlines some of the epidemiological on the move through Tokyo, some forced to risks of infection of living on the street, life walk across the city for a meal, or the chance of challenges posed by governmental bureaucracy finding shelter for the night. Rousted by that neglects the vulnerable, and the efforts by security guards or maintenance staff when they civil society groups to address a problem that is do find some out of the way place, they seek larger than they can handle. some nook or cranny at least partially out of sight, the creases of public space left for them. The data for this paper was largely, but not exclusively, collected by revisiting the men we They do not have hand sanitizer or wipes, and got to know during previous research (Slater & 1 often for long periods of time, they also do not Ikebe, 2020), usually by meeting them either have access to water, let alone soap. On this at Shinjuku Station or St. Ignatius Church in evening in Shinjuku, only about half of them Yotsuya. Quotations are the result of face to were wearing masks, and many of the masks face conversations during and after volunteer we could see were filthy, clearly used for days efforts as the Covid-19 lockdown unfolded. No or weeks at a time. One man wearing a fresh names are being used and some of the details mask he got from a volunteer group that of the men’s situations have been obscured to morning, nodded at a group of other men, ensure their privacy. whispering that they picked theirs from trash. To be sure I understood, he reiterated, “they are wearing other people’s discarded masks.” Homelessness before and now One of these other men overheard us talking, and shouted back “hey, at least I got one of While not as large as in other countries, since these,” as he took one of the rice balls we were the 1992 economic recession in Japan, the handing out that night. homeless population has increased, typically in larger cities such as Tokyo and those in Osaka Tokyo’s homeless population has been under prefectures (Hasegawa, 2005). The latest threat for the past few years, first by the statistics from the government indicate that Olympics (Kageyama, 2020), and now by there are 4,555 homeless people throughout Covid-19. Even before we understood the exact Japan (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, infection pattern or scope of the virus, it was 2019) and 1,037 homeless people within Tokyo clear that it would be a threat to the homeless (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 2019). But worldwide (Admin, 2020). While metropolitan counting a fluid population always on the move centers around the world braced for the slow is notoriously difficult in any city, including roll of Covid-19 into their cities, most were Tokyo (Citizens, 2019). In most counts, taking preemptive action to protect their most “homeless” is legally defined as rough sleepers vulnerable populations. Tokyo, on the other who live in public spaces such as urban parks, hand, waited until April to take any direct next to rivers, on side streets, in station action, and even then, after having watched buildings and other facilities (MHLW, 2002). other metropolitan areas struggle, theirThe consensus of most supporters it that this response was weak, uncoordinated and largely group is getting smaller as the older men die incoherent—not so different from efforts in off. Although the number of homeless people by other parts of Japan. Even the Governor of this definition has been decreasing, it is 2 18 | 18 | 4 APJ | JF estimated that there are at least 4000 people poor quality of support is not the only reason without stable housing in Tokyo (Tokyoone might not take welfare. Many, even though Metropolitan Government, 2018). Some of them they are eligible and entitled to welfare are known as “net-café refugees” netto( kafe support, object for ethical reasons: they are nanmin) who sleep in 24-hour operating against the idea of taking money from the facilities such as coffee shops or fast-food government. As one man who had been living stores. for years in different train stations around the center of Tokyo explained to us, “I have never The Japanese government offers Livelihood taken things from the government, and I do not Protection (seikatsu hogo, public welfare) want to do it now.” Many point out that others which guarantees a minimum standard of living are in just as desperate a situation as they are, for all citizens. But in fact, many of those who maybe more desperate, so they do not feel they need this money do not get it. Most of the should accept any support from the homeless men report that the offices that government. One explained, “I understand that handle welfare payments are oftensome other [homeless people] might need to unresponsive to their questions about the take money—that is their choice. But that is not byzantine process and elaborate rules. These for me. No matter what. I could not handle rules often result in disqualifying them for that.” some infraction or missing piece of paperwork, and often force them to give up on their Most of the men work in some way (Gill 1999) applications. Many describe this process as a but almost all in what has been called “shadow humiliating interrogation filled withwork” (Snow & Leufgen 2007), off the books in insinuations and prejudicial disapproval. Some marginal, poorly paid jobs where they do not are dissuaded with questions such as whether sign a contract or pay taxes. Besides picking up they are sure that their family cannot take care bottles or cans, participating in surveys (where of them. Most of the men left their families they might get a small reward), and positioning many years ago and now live with little contact. themselves where free food or merchandise They often report that their families do not might be given out, some of the men also work know where they are.