2022 Volume 74 Issue 4 Pages 429-447
Throughout history, forced migration has occurred in many parts of the world, where people are forced to leave their residents and homelands against their will. There are various factors that cause forced migration, including conflicts such as wars and ethnic feuds, natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, and land development. People who are forced to migrate often suffer from economic deprivation and identity issues, and this has become a global problem. One example is the building evacuation that took place in various parts of Japan at the end of the Pacific War. This study focused on building evacuation in Kyoto City and explored the relationship between the social attributes of forced evacuees and their relocation sites. To determine the destinations of forced evacuees, Kyoto Prefecture’s administrative documents were analyzed, and interviews to examine the factors that determined their destinations were conducted. As a result, it is suggested that the factors determining where to relocate were mainly local connections, such as family and occupational relationships. Many forced evacuees relocated within Kyoto City, but the households which departed from Kyoto City often consisted of individuals with certain characteristics–namely singles and households with female or unemployed heads; probably they were socially vulnerable. This tendency was more pronounced just before the end of the war. As the economic situation became more severe, households which relocated further away were mainly consisted of many socially vulnerable people.
