Japan's Suppression of Ainu

Excerpted statement submitted to the Sixth Session of the Working Group on lndigenous Populations Genéve Switzerland, August 1988

Ainu Association of Hokkaido Sapporo, Hokkaido

Abstract

This article summarizes the human rights condition of the Ainu people in Japan, highlighting government assimilation policies, land ownership restrictions, social and economic disparities, discriminatory practices, and the Ainu people's demand for self-determination. Despite claims of non-discrimination, the Ainu people face suppression and denial of rights, necessitating a new legal framework for national self-determination. It discusses the need for institutions to recover Ainu rights, eliminate racial discrimination, and promote ethnic education in Japan. It emphasizes the Ainu Association of Hokkaido's opposition to assimilationist programs and calls for revising ILO Convention No. 107 to respect identity, contextualizing the historical suppression of Ainu Moshiri and current challenges faced by the Ainu people in Hokkaido.