Kamagasaki (釜ヶ崎) is an old place name for a part of Nishinari-ku in Osaka, Japan. Airin-chiku (あいりん地区) became the area's official name in May 1966.
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Sections of four different towns — Nishinari-ku Taishi (西成区太子), Haginochaya (萩之茶屋), Sannō (山王), North Hanazono (花園北) and Tengachaya (天下茶屋) — are collectively known as Kamagasaki.
Kamagasaki has been a place name since 1922. Kamagasaki is Japan's largest slum and has the largest day laborer concentration in the country. 30,000 people are estimated to live in every 2,000 meter radius in this area. An accurate count of occupants has never been produced, even in the national census, due to the large population of day laborers who lack permanent addresses. Daily life in Kamagasaki in the 1950s was photographed by Seiryū Inoue, who won the 1961 Newcomer's Prize awarded by the Japan Photography Critics` Society for "One Hundred Faces of Kamagasaki".
The area surrounding Kamagasaki nowadays is very clean and attracts tourists with popular sightseeing spots including the Tsutenkaku, Shinsekai, and Nipponbashi. However, in Kamagasaki, homeless people can often be seen sleeping in the streets throughout the day, and doya (ドヤ) hotels (cheap temporary rooms intended for day laborers) abound in the area. These hotels have recently become popular amongst backpackers from outside of Japan due to their cheap price and close location to rail transportation.[1]
Non-profit and religious organizations frequently give out food rations, creating long lines of people in public parks. Property values in Kamagasaki are noticeably lower than those of surrounding areas.
Many Bōryokudan offices are located in Kamagasaki, and drug and weapons trafficking is thought to occur daily. Illegal gambling stores are often in business in broad daylight. A seemingly endless line of illegally parked cars extends along the national highway just across from the Nishinari police station. The police do not bother issuing tickets knowing that the fines will never be paid.
Several conflicts with the police have occurred in Kamagasaki since 1961 over perceived human rights violations by authorities. The mass media usually refer to these events using words that can be translated as "riot".
The first riot occurred on August 1, 1961, when an elderly day laborer from Kamagasaki was killed in a traffic accident. The official who arrived on the scene assumed that the man was already dead (only doctors are allowed to pronounce a death) and left the body on the street for over 20 minutes without calling an ambulance while he spoke with witnesses. A large group of day laborers surrounded the Nishinari police station in protest of the man's treatment, overturned parked police cars, and set fire to nearby apartment buildings. The Osaka Prefectural Police responded with 6,000 officers, using police sticks and vehicles to round up the rioters. It took two days to stop the 2,000 rioters; 28 were arrested. Approximately 10 rioters and 100 police officers were injured.
This riot became a national issue and was taken up in the prefectural legislature and national legislature of Japan. Several attempts were made to mend relationships between the groups, but minor riots continued to occur. In May 1966, it was decided that the official name of Kamagasaki would be changed to Airin-chiku (あいりん地区) in an attempt to improve the area's crime-ridden image. The name Kamagasaki is still commonly used amongst inhabitants, while the name Airin-chiku is used by the media and government officials.
The 22nd riot occurred in October 1990, 17 years after the last riot in 1973. This riot also involved local day laborers but grew in proportion when youths from outside Kamagasaki joined in. Shin-Imamiya Station and local stores were set on fire during this riot, and it took several days to calm the area.
The 23rd riot occurred in October 1992, and a large-scale riot did not occur for over 10 years. This was the last large-scale riot to occur in Japan before the 34th G8 summit.
The 24th conflict with the police occurred on June 13, 2008, and it continued six days. It was related to the 34th G8 summit. One day before the G8 Finance Ministers' Meeting started in Osaka with a very large police presence, a day laborer in Kamagasaki was allegedly tortured by the police. In protest, many day laborers and other local citizens carried out several days of street protests.[2][3][4] Many mass media referred to the protests as a "riot".
Pharmacotherapy has ordered expunged the no living realities and encouraging this survey Osaka city workers had a resident registration in Kamagasaki release Center in the district, such as the equivalent number of actually registered location realities of living condition was discovered, because since 2007 resident registration. For civil rights, such as the right to vote is workers and supporters are stripped of contrast continues to campaign against. It is said that ranging from the Liberal Democratic Party Japan to Communist Party requested cooperation to each political party, but you have ignored it.
Six arrested on April 5, 2011. On April 10, 2011, a movie director was arrested at a polling place Haginochaya.
Upper house election on July 11, 2010
Nursery school: Wakakusa Nursery School, 2-9-2 Haginochaya
Primary schools: Haginochaya Primary School, 1-11-15 Haginochaya; Koji Primary School, 2-16-26 Hanazonokita
Junior high school: Imamiya Junior High School, 1-8-32 Hanazonokita
Other school: UNION Theology University Extension Study, 3-4-23 Haginochaya
Memorial service at the 38th Kamagasaki Summer Festival
The 28th Twilight Concert