Japan: Evictions Going Ahead even though New Stadium back to Drawing Board
The government announced in July 2015 that plans for constructing a new National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were to be revisited scratch, amidst public outcry as projected costs for had trebled to more than USD 2 billion. Despite the fact that the new stadium has gone back to the drawing board, the demolition of a public housing complex in the nearby neighbourhood of Kasumigaoka is to take place as scheduled. This would result in the evictions of 160 households, or approximately 370 people. 60% of the residents facing eviction are over 65 years old. The authorities have reportedly offered to relocate the households to similar complexes in other neighbourhoods in central Tokyo: however, residents were not consulted individually regarding their relocation, and many residents have expressed concern that it will be difficult to maintain their community ties.
[Summary of English and Japanese language articles, by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]