TOKYO, Feb 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Japan’s government introduced a bill
Friday to recognise the country’s ethnic Ainu minority as an “indigenous”
people for the first time, after decades of discrimination against the group.
The Ainu people — many of whom live in northern Hokkaido — have long
suffered the effects of a policy of forced assimilation, and while
discrimination has receded gradually, income and education gaps with the rest
of Japan persist.
“It is important to protect the honour and dignity of the Ainu people and
to hand those down to the next generation to realise a vibrant society with
diverse values,” top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters.
“Today we made a cabinet decision on a bill to proceed with policies to
preserve the Ainu people’s pride.”
The bill is the first to recognise the Ainu as “indigenous people” and
calls for the government to make “forward-looking policies”, including
measures to support communities and boost local economies and tourism.
The Ainu have long suffered oppression and exploitation, and the modern
Japanese government in the late 19th century banned them from practising
their customs and using their language.
The Ainu traditionally observed an animist faith, with men wearing full
beards and women adorning themselves with facial tattoos before marriage.
But like many indigenous people around the world, most of Japan’s Ainu have
lost touch with their traditional lifestyle after decades of forced
assimilation policies.
The Ainu population is estimated to be at least 12,300, according to a 2017
survey, but the real figure is unknown as many have integrated into
mainstream society and some have hidden their cultural roots.
“It is the first step for ensuring equality under the law,” Mikiko Maruko,
who represents a group of Ainu people in eastern Japan near Tokyo, told AFP.
“There are lots of things to be done, for example, creating a scholarship
for families who struggle to send their children to high schools,” she added,
a system currently only available to Ainu in Hokkaido.
Under the new plan, the government will also allow the Ainu to cut down
trees in nationally-owned forests for use in traditional rituals.
“It is a major step forward on policies towards the Ainu people,” said
Masashi Nagaura, chief of the Ainu policy bureau of the Hokkaido prefectural
government that has spearheaded policies for the ethnic minority.