Background Briefing

THE AINU PEOPLE OF JAPAN

The Japanese government has consistently followed an assimilation policy with regard to the Ainu people, and no policy based on the concept of self-determination of the Ainu people has ever been adopted, or even considered.

Ainu people lived in the territories now known as north of Honshu, Hokkaido, south of Karafuto

(Sakhalin), Kurile Islands. The Ainu have enjoyed their lifestyle, protected by the spirits and provided with abundant natural resources. The Ainu used to trade with people from China and Siberia, and through official missions to pay tribute

to and trade with the Emperor.As Japan began its construction of a modern nation-state in 1867, the Japanese government unilaterally annexed our homeland, renaming it 'Hokkaido'. The Ainu continued to be thought of and treated as a 'barbaric' minority group of Japan. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Japanese government started a strict formal assimilation policy towards the Ainu. In its drive to 'settle' the island of Hokkaido, the government invited specialists on assimilation policies aimed at Native Americans from the United States. In 1899, the Japanese government enacted its 'Former Aboriginals Protection Act'. This law, which was effective until 1997, was in fact used as a model for colonization in the era of Japanese imperialism in other Asian countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and so on.
Throughout this period, as the government deprived our ancestors of their land, the Japanese government also forbade us to speak our language. In the face of these strict policies, the power and ability of our people to revolt against Japan was further weakened. In spite of the government's assimilation policy, the Ainu culture has been well preserved in some areas, even after World War II. But strong socialization and fear of marginalization led this generation to regard their Ainu identity negatively. They abandoned the transmission of Ainu customs. In other words, our people chose to survive at the cost of losing our Ainu traditions.         

The Japanese government state in the Working Group of the United States on Aborigines in 1987: "The Japanese nation was formed through a long historical process in which various racial groups were mixed. The Ainu people are considered one of those racial groups." Furthermore, a Japanese government representative told the 324th session of the 12th Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, held in 1980: "the Ainu people should rightly be called Utari people, but that as a result of the rapid develop of communications since the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century, it has become difficult to recognize any distinguishing features in their mode of living."  These statements reflect unilateral assimilation policy of the Japanese government and ignore the right of the Ainu people to self-determination.

In 1946, the Ainu people established the Ainu Association of Hokkaido. With
financial support from the government, the Association was able to offer assistance to improve the level of living and education for the Ainu. However, this support is limited to those Ainu who live in Hokkaido only; the Ainu living outside of Hokkaido are not eligible for support. Many Ainu have migrated to large cities outside of Hokkaido to look for jobs and hoping that discrimination would be milder in the city. As a result, many of our people became ineligible for support. This situation continues today.


Challenges

The continued social and economic marginalization of indigenous peoples in Japan is a clear indication that the few legal measures supposedly addressing our situation are completely inadequate.

At present, Japan does not have any domestic laws that address racial or ethnic discrimination. The government's lack of effort to eliminate discrimination contributes to the impunity with which government officials make statements about the so-called "ethnic homogeneity" of Japan.

Most Ainu, especially our women, do not know about opportunities available to them. Our small organizations do not have resources to ensure that all Ainu are aware of the mechanisms of redress available to them at the international level. We strongly urge to put greater emphasis on educating those most vulnerable to discrimination about ways we can overcome it.

Finally, for indigenous peoples in Japan and throughout Asia and Africa, our struggle for our indigenous rights includes the acknowledgement by governments of our very existence as indigenous peoples.