OSAKA -- Osaka forcibly ejected homeless men from two city parks early Monday, six days after they were given final notice to vacate to pave the way for upcoming events.
Twenty-two homeless men, including 17 in Utsubo Park in central Osaka and five others in Osaka Castle Park, were forced to leave after a tense standoff with city officials and prefectural police that lasted several hours.
In Utsubo Park, the homeless men, all in their 50s and 60s, staged a sit-in with nearly 50 supporters from around the country.