OSAKA -- The Osaka District Court on Dec. 1 went ahead with the forced removal of homeless people living on the grounds of a closed support facility for laborers in this city's Nishinari Ward.

The Airin General Center was a symbol of Osaka's Airin district, the largest area in Japan for day laborers, commonly known as Kamagasaki, but it was closed in 2019 due to problems with its earthquake resistance. In May this year, an order for forced removal of people staying there was finalized, and the Osaka Prefectural Government had filed a request for compulsory execution of the measure.

The center has 13 stories above the ground and one basement level. It was constructed by the central government and the Osaka prefectural and municipal governments in 1970. It included a medical facility where day laborers could receive treatment, as well as municipal housing and the Nishinari Labor and Welfare Center, which helps people find jobs.

At around 7 a.m. on Dec. 1, prefectural and municipal government workers surrounded the areas with barricades, and several hundred people began carrying out the removal work. Over about 8 1/2 hours, they removed homeless people's belongings and abandoned household effects, among other items. Prefectural riot police were dispatched to guard the area, creating a tense atmosphere.

One 40-year-old man evicted from the area said he was awoken by loud construction noises at about 7:30 a.m.

"I was surrounded by lots of people. They told me, 'Come out,' and I couldn't resist. I haven't decided where I'm going to live next," he said, appearing at a loss. Another 70-year-old man commented, "When I came back from a walk, the area was fenced off, and I couldn't enter. I don't know where I will go from here."

Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura commented, "Over half a year had passed since the ruling was finalized, but they had not complied with the removal order. We want to demolish the building as soon as possible and work on the construction of a new facility."

(Japanese original by Tatsuya Naganuma, Tadashi Murakami and Nanami Otsubo, Osaka City News Department)