What is Asile?

The name of our organisation is Asile, a French word meaning ‘refuge’ or ‘sanctuary’. The organisation was set up with nakama* who had previously lost social connections through losing their jobs or homes. The organisation provides a structure for people to build new relations with others and to live with dignity.

The history of Asile

When the Japanese economic bubble burst in the 1990s, the Sanya district of Tokyo – where many day laborers lived and found work – experienced a drastic decline in job opportunities and many people were forced to sleep on the street. Those who became homeless set up tents in parks and riverside areas in their neighborhoods. There were approximately 2,000 tents made from sheets of blue tarpaulin along the Sumida river in Tokyo. In response to this situation a foodbank was set up in 2000, followed in 2001 by Sumida-river Medical Association who provided medical support, and the Asian Workers Network (AWN) in 2002 creating employment with homeless people.

This was 20 years ago, and while many formerly homeless people are now living on benefits and renting rooms or in simple lodgings, they are getting older and becoming more isolated. In addition to this, inequality has grown in Japan due to the normalisation of casual employment and issues relating to poverty have deepened and become more widespread.

In 2019 the foodbank and Sumida-river Medical Association merged to form a non-profit organisation, Asile. At the heart of the organisation are the nakama and we all work together to create a structure in which everybody supports each other, rather than just supporting or being supported. We also work to build stronger networks with other organisations, and to share knowledge and information about the issues surrounding poverty with wider audiences.