2008–09 A Record of Japan Tent City for Jobless (with English Subtitles)

Tent City for Jobless over the New Year’s Period was opened at Hibiya Park in Tokyo. Many temp workers who were laid off gathered. Produced by Video Press. Subtitled by the International Division of Labor Net Japan.

This is a record of the “New Year’s Temporary Workers Village” held at Hibiya Park in Tokyo from December 31, 2008, to January 5, 2009. This English-subtitled version was also screened at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan press conference.

Amidst the sudden financial crisis, hundreds of temporary workers, who were the first to lose their jobs and be evicted from their dormitories, as well as long-time homeless individuals, joined the village, far exceeding the organizers’ expectations. As the layoffs of temporary workers, expected to reach a scale of one million, became a significant social issue, many politicians visited the village, prompting action from government agencies.

Produced by Video Press

In response, the ultra-conservative media outlet Sankei Shimbun published articles deliberately disparaging the Temporary Workers Village, claiming that “homeless people infiltrated the village” as if it were a major problem. Such reports aimed to undermine the village and sow division within the anti-poverty movement. In reality, many homeless individuals, despite facing life-threatening circumstances themselves, volunteered wholeheartedly to support the temporary workers. Their dedication was truly inspiring.

Sankei Shimbun journalists seem to believe that impoverished people, like the homeless, are contemptible and undeserving of aid and assume others share this view. However, no matter how much social status one may have, who deserves more respect as a human being: the disgraceful journalists of Sankei Shimbun, who write nothing but trash, or the homeless volunteers whom those trash reporters look down upon? The answer is beyond obvious.

Visit the Official Blog of the Temporary Workers Village

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