Yumeno Mito, who runs an organization that helps girl runaways, is angry that developments like Miyashita Park in Shibuya are removing vulnerable people from public view, without addressing the underlying problems. https://twitter.com/colabo_yumeno/status/1295035791274463232

Nito (not Mito, as mispelled in the first tweet) says the authorities constantly sought to stigmatize the homeless and youths gathering in local parks and in Centre Gai. She notes scare stories of "drug dealing foreigners" ignored all the Japanese openly engaged in the trade.

She is concerned that splitting up these vulnerable groups makes it easier for those who prey on them to exploit them. It's harder to share information and warnings when everyone is dispersed.

This is not a new criticism. Miyashita Park has been a battleground for local activists for years. Over a decade ago, Shibuya's plan to sell naming rights to Nike, with a view to developing it, drew opposition and international attention: http://travel.cnn.com/tokyo/play/brawl-over-miyashita-park-shibuya-snares-nike-565070/

The debate is the same as the one over development in Shinjuku 30 years ago. Access to the new Tokyo Metroplitan Government building, next to Chuo Koen, ran through areas used by a large homeless population, which wasn't regarded as a good civic image.

There are still homeless in the area, but the main concentration is no more. There were concessions but, ultimately, a fire in 1998 hastened the end. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/1998/02/13/national/homeless-at-shinjuku-station-move-out-of-cardboard-village/