#2019 Ainu Bill

[amer-ainu]

The 2019 Ainu Bill is a joke, and Here’s Why

I know everyone wants something good to happen to Indigenous folks somewhere for once, but this policy isn’t it. The article is necessarily long, and since none of y’all actually read any of these articles before posing them and shouting GOLDEN KAMUY for some reason, here are some of the most important details about what the bill actually does, or fails to do.

Ainu members of the Council represent a minority within its numbers. In other words, Japanese individuals dominate the Council, which determines the policies on behalf of the Ainu.

Second, the five Ainu members on the council do not represent an adequate diversity of the different Ainu interest groups or associations as only a few of select Ainu organisations are represented. Other organizations across the vibrant spectrum of activism and interests of the Ainu community — such as the Karafuto (Sakhalin) Ainu Association, the Monbetsu Ainu Association, or the Ainu Women’s Association — have been excluded from the decision-making processes with priority instead given to those groups directly tied to government.

there are no stipulations in the bill which guarantee the indigenous status of the Ainu or take comprehensive anti-discrimination measures in ways which would accord with the international human rights standards to which Japan is bound. This is equally true of the forthcoming bill as it was for its predecessor, the Ainu Culture Promotion Act (ACPA, 1997).

Did you read that?  

There are no stipulations in the bill which guarantee the indigenous status of the Ainu.

the Ainu are regarded as a distinct ethnic group, which is significantly different from recognition as indigenous peoples and implies a completely different set of rights and guarantees according to international human rights standards. 

Article 2 of the bill reinforces the constraints on the Ainu by providing a very narrow definition of what culture is, one that is again consistent with that outlined the ACPA, although in opposition to indigenous culture as defined by a number of international conventions.

So about those fishing and gathering rights?

the new policy relegates and restricts Ainu culture to limited activities such as salmon fishing in fresh water and foraging in Hokkaido forests solely for the purpose of performing certain rituals or disseminating their traditional knowledge, rather than accommodating self-determination of the Ainu to enjoy their own culture.

In effect, the policy defines Ainu culture on behalf of the Ainu themselves, as opposed to allowing for self-determination. Article 5 of the bill reinforces this distorted representation by allowing the state and municipalities to take the lead in adopting and implementing Ainu policy. 

On 16 February, the day following the approval of the bill by the Cabinet Meeting, Ainu activist Mamoru Tazawa critically remakred, “No measures are really taken for the Ainu, let alone the [diverse groups like the] Karafuto Ainu.”

The short of it is, the 2019 Ainu bill is exactly what I said it was in my last post about the topic. It’s an underhanded scheme made to save face on the international stage, and rake in tourist dollars for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. There is nothing substantially different in this bill from the 1997 bill it’s meant to replace. It’s reinforcing the commodification of our culture and our people as objects for some vacationer’s curio cabinet.

This is not a win for us.

[peonycats]

Hello, I got a question that might peak your interest. Do you have Headcanons about the Ainu people of Japan?

not many, but here's some! (@aphasiaweek for Day 9 Japan bashing)

bffs with Miss Ryukyu Islands and friends with Miss Sápmi

had a (series of) pet bear(s) back in the day

used to have a beard

Manages to even out "old-man" Japan

Very tired

Doesn't really like Russia

Used to not like Mongolia but it's been 500 years so they're like ok now

and have Miss Ryukyu/Okinawa and Ainu banging out some tunes! Ryukyu is playing a sanshin, and Ainu is playing a tonkori, both instruments played among their respective culture~

Historical Footnotes:

// discussions of genocide and culture suppression

The Ryukyuan Kingdom, existing from 1429 to 1879, was a tributary state of China and played an important role in maritime trade between East Asia and Southeast Asia. It became a vassal of Japan in 1609, but remained technically independent until 1872, when it became the Okinawa prefecture. Ryukyuan culture was suppressed under Japanese rule, and to this day, the people of Okinawa fight against the concentration of US military bases in their lands and for the preservation of their native culture and language.

The Ryukyuan equivalent to the kimono is the ryusou, which Miss Ryukyu/Okinawa is wearing here. It's not nearly as complicated in components, and its fit is much looser. In a Japanese kimono, the obi is always tied in the back, while it can be tied with a bow in the front for ryusou. It's commonly dyed using the bingata technique!

Bingata is an dyeing technique unique to the Ryukyuan islands. It's well known for its vibrant colors and elaborate designs, and is applied to the cloth through a pattern stencil.

The Ainu are the indigenous people of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and Kuril Islands. Following the Sengoku period, the Ainu slowly became more and more dependent on Japan and Japanese goods, despite many rebellions against this Japanese domination. In 1806, fearing that Russia would attempt to spread its influence to its northern lands, Japan took direct control of Hokkaido and began to assimilate the Ainu into mainstream Japanese society. Ainu men were forced into servitude and only fed and clothed if they gave up their language and culture, and Ainu women were forcibly married to Japanese men; many Ainu cultural practices were also banned under Imperial Japan. This greatly reduced the Ainu's numbers, and unlike the Ryukyuans, the Ainu today are a minority in Hokkaido, and many Japanese remain unaware of their Ainu heritage. Ainu continue to suffer from lower economic prosperity compared to their Yamato Japanese counterparts, even to this day.

Toward the end of the 20th century, Ainu activism and revitalization movements began to rise in prominence, and a number of legal reforms protecting Ainu culture have been passed in the following years. In 2008, the Japanese government officially recognized them as a minority, and in 2019, a bill was passed recognizing them officially as the indigenous people of Japan.

Mister Ainu is wearing an attus, which is a coat-like garment. It's made from the fibers of an elm tree native to Hokkaido. The process of extracting fibers and processing them for fabric use is quite time consuming! Typically, ceremonial attus were decorated with elaborate geometric patterns and applique. It was thought that the embroidered patterns could protect from evil.

In the first picture, Mister Ainu is wearing a sapanupe, a traditional crown made from grape vines, wood shavings, and carvings of sacred animals. They were worn for important occasions but also helped keep men's hair tidy.

On the Mongolia note: In the 1200s, the Ainu expanded into the island of Sakhalin, putting them into conflict with the Nivk people, who had submitted to the Yuan dynasty. The Sakhalin Ainu fought the combined forces of the Yuan Dynasty for 40 years, but eventually surrendered and became tributaries of the Khan.

On the Sápmi note: Since 2011, the Ainu have done cultural exchange and cooperation with the Sámi. Both the Sami and Ainu participate in the organization for Arctic Indigenous people.

Tonkori: A plucked string instrument played by the Ainu and generally has five strings.

Sanshin: An instrument unique to the Okinawan and Amami islands; it has three strings and has a snakeskin covered body. It's believed that it was influenced by the Chinese sanxian, as the Ryukyuan kingdom held very close ties to Imperial China. When the sanshin reached mainland Japan, it evolved into the larger shamisen.

YES I KNOW JAPAN'S KIMONO FOLD IS ON THE WRONG SIDE the reference i was using for him had the kimono fold on the wrong side but i figured since the left over right fold was only used for corpses it was appropriate since clearly this is japan 5 seconds before disaster strikes

[wearejapanese]

Building on from the important and hugely successful Hokkaidō 150: Settler Colonialism and Indigeneity in Modern Japan and Beyond organized in March 2019, this series examines histories of colonialism and its impacts on Indigenous peoples. Shortly over a month after our Hokkaidō 150 event, the Japanese Diet on April 19, 2019 approved a bill to officially recognize the Ainu as Indigenous to Japan and to promote and protect Ainu culture. But, has anything changed since then? Uchinānchu/Okinawan people continue to face different types of challenges and struggles as they are not officially recognized as “Indigenous” or even as “a minority group.” While Ainu and Uchinānchu people are distinct groups, and “Indigeneity” is an identity embraced by some and not others, we are keen to continue exploring issues facing these people as we renew our mutual commitment to justice, truth, and reconciliation.

Participation is free, but registration is required (links below).

Where: Zoom (download the app here)

Tuesday, February 23, 5-6pm PST An Introduction to Upopoy, a “Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony” Dr. Kitahara Jirota mokottunas, Hokkaido University Registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5MvdOqgrTMjE9PGnKo8mlWnlY9vqY7r64hz

Monday, March 15, 12-1pm PST Ainu: 150 years of resilience Dr. Kanako Uzawa, Independent scholar and performer Registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5cuc-mvrjMrGdwB7F_HIU7SbADpGkQn05Q9

Monday, March 29, 5-6 pm PST Re-thinking Okinawan Indigeneity: Articulation and Activism Dr. Megumi Chibana, Kanagawa University Registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5YtdeCurT0pGNTYSMSbjiJ1vTNGjLI8efH_

[loadsofplaces]

Japan

General Information Japan is an East Asian country in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of many islands (around 6800 - some islands in East Asia are involved in territorial disputes so it’s hard to give a definite exact number - in total!), the biggest being Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, in that order. The metropolitan area of the capital Tokyo in Honshu is the most populous in the world with 37 Million inhabitants. Japan is one of the most homogenous countries in the world with less than 2% of inhabitants being foreign nationals, but among Japanese nationals there are also minorities such as ethnic Koreans, also Ainu and Okinawans are sometimes considered as distinct indigenous groups. As for religion, Japanese people tend to follow a mixture of Shintō (the set of indigenous Japanese beliefs) and Buddhist rites.

Pop Culture and Technology Probably everyone already knows, but how could a post about Japan not mention some of its most famous exports of the past few decades - from technology of companies such as Sony, Nintendo or Panasonic to pop culture such as Manga and Anime. One area that is generally considered a must see for everyone interested in “otaku culture” is Akihabara (pictured) in Tokyo with its Electric Town, while Harajuku is famous for its fashion and “Kawaii culture”.

Shintō As mentioned, Shintō (often translated as “way of the gods”) is the traditional religion of Japan which continues to have large influence, though in modern times it has often merged with elements of Buddhism. There is no religious authority or major text, but it’s generally centered around concepts such as purity, harmony or importance of the group. It has a rich mythology of countless gods, spirits, demons, and ghosts. Shinto shrines dedicated to gods and spirits can be found everywhere in Japan. Some of the most important deities are Izanami and Izanagi (the mythological founders of Japan) and their children the sun goddess Amaterasu (pictured is the Ise Grand Shrine dedicated to her), the god of storms Susanoo, and the moon god Tsukuyomi. 

~ Anastasia Government Japan is a constitutional monarchy in which the Emperor is the Head of State, and the Prime Minister is the Head of Government.  The Emperor performs ceremonial duties and serves no real power. Most of the political power is held by the prime minister and the Diet. The National Diet, or The Diet, is Japan's bicameral legislature, consists of the House of Representatives and The House of Councillors. Besides making and passing laws, the Diet is also responsible for selecting the Prime Minister. It can be said that the House of Representatives is the most powerful of these two since it can override a bill voted down by the House of Councillors. The Executive branch in Japan consists of the Prime Minister and The Cabinet. 

Unique Laws In Japan, some laws may sound unique or even weird to foreigners. For example, you can be put to jail for putting ice cream in mailboxes and get imprisoned for up to 5 years. Another one, Japanese citizens must report to the government before going to Antarctica. Japan forbids its citizens from doing activities that could harm Antarctica due to the Antarctic Treaty that Japan signed in 1997. People who violate could get stopped by the customs or even fined ¥500,000.

~ Safira Economy Japan is the third largest economy in the world. Its GDP crossed the $5 trillion mark in 2019. However it might soon drop out of the podium due to the severe problem with the aging population. 28.7 % of the population are 65 or older. Despite large digitalisation and openness to modern solutions the GDP growth in 2019 in Japan was merely as high as 0.7%. The size of the Japanese economy, which used to account for far more than 10% of the world economy, could decrease to 3% by 2050.

Empty Stadiums 2020 was originally supposed to be the year of the Olympics in Japan. Unfortunately due to widespread coronavirus it wasn’t the case. Whole ceremony was postponed to 2021 and even now it’s strange. Due to travel restrictions and the rising number of infections in Tokyo, spectators will also be absent from 97% of Olympic competitions. That all makes those Olympics very bizarre.

~ Damian

Sources: https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_cities https://thefactfile.org/japan-facts/ https://www.worldhistory.org/Shinto/ https://thesmartlocal.com/japan/strange-japanese-laws/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Japan#Government https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Diet

[elegantmess-southernbelle]

Our Greyhound Bus Experience

Strap in, friends, this is a long and harrowing ride. Literally, in the case of this friend.

At 11:45 PM (PDT), 10 of July, 2019, my dear friend, whom we shall call Oliver, was supposed to be leaving Seattle on his 11th cross country trip with Greyhound Bus Lines. Our intent was for him to have a leisurely trip to my home in Richmond VA and eventually fly home from Seattle after DragonCon. At least, that was the plan.

First of all, due to health problems, Oliver is a larger person, weighing 350 lbs. He is uses a motorized wheelchair for most mobility that weighs in at exactly 232 lbs. He is Ainu (a Japanese native minority).

Before they could begin to load Oliver on the wheelchair lift, the problems began. The lift began malfunctioning almost immediately, extending and promptly retracting. At one point, it actually reached the ground, and then refused to rise again. Several people fought to get the lift working and, even then, it repeatedly malfunctioned. It would not get off the ground empty, as they tested it without weight. At one point, Oliver was hovering about 1 1/2 feet (50 cm) off the ground with no motion in either direction. After an hour, the employees gave up, and the driver drove himself to the depot nearby to fetch a replacement bus and test the lift himself. 2 1/2 hours after the bus was meant to leave, it was finally ready to go.

That was the easiest part of this trip.

Upon arrival in Spokane at 7:09 AM PDT, it was discovered that the bus had missed their connection to a Jefferson Bus to Billings, MT, and across North Dakota, to Minneapolis (Jefferson Bus Lines serves the Mountain West from Spokane to Minneapolis, though the tickets are issued by Greyhound). The Spokane station is a Greyhound Station. In Spokane, Oliver was reissued his ticket for the next route west, leaving at 5:15 PM PDT. The new route also went to Billings via the same path, but crossed Wyoming and South Dakota, and on to Minneapolis, rather than North Dakota as his original itinerary did. Having the resources available, he seriously considered transferring to the Amtrak Empire Builder and eating the cost of the Greyhound ticket. In retrospect, he believes he should have, but hindsight is 20/20.

During his 12 hour layover, he called Greyhound Customer Service to tell them what had happened. He was told that nothing could be done about the issue until 24 hours after he had arrived at his final destination. That, by the way, would have meant that the earliest he could have called would have been on Monday the 15th of July, after the immediacy of the events could have been lost, particularly to someone with a neurological disability, which Oliver has (namely Moyamoya disease).

Upon attempting to reboard after 12 unexpected hours in Spokane and 2 meals out of pocket that he otherwise wouldn’t have needed (Spokane has no restaurant in station as of that date), they checked what was to be the first of his Jefferson Lines busses, only to discover that, once again, the lift was broken. This was discovered, again, before an attempt was made to load Oliver. Jefferson Lines, however, was able to fix the problem almost immediately. Rather than try and fail to repair the lift, as Greyhound had in Seattle, they immediately went and got another one. During this time, Oliver discovered that his new ticket and his baggage route tag no longer matched (Greyhound has passengers take possession of their own bags at every stop, while Jefferson does not). The single, quite overwhelmed ticket agent in the station —from Jefferson, but doing the work of both companies— had issued everyone replacement tickets, but forgotten to also issue new route tags to put on the baggage itself. Thankfully, the young man who works there as the only luggage specialist was able to run in and grab a new baggage route tag for Oliver, thus making his bag match the itinerary on his ticket.

(Also relevant here and in future in the story is that Oliver’s bag was marked in Seattle with a bright pink a “special handling” tag. This is supposed to mean that baggage handlers at each Greyhound Station are supposed to handle his bag. Ultimately, the only Greyhound stations which respected this were Spokane and Chicago.)

He traveled uneventfully through the night from Spokane to Billings, Montana. Sadly, this meant that part of the reason Oliver had booked the trip as he did was moot. He’s fond of Western Montana, thinks it’s beautiful, and had been looking forward to seeing it. However, due to the schedule shift, the bus was crossing the area not by day, but by night. His arrival in Billings was uneventful. His transfer to the next bus was likewise, due to the professionalism of the Jefferson employees. Alas, it was in Billings where the baggage error caught up with everyone on the bus, save him, who was continuing east. Since their baggage tags no longer matched their itineraries, their bags were held in Billings for the next bus across North Dakota to Minnesota. One friend he had made on the trip, we’ll call her Countess, had lost her baggage, leaving her bereft of clothing suitable for the funeral she was attending in Chicago. Oliver, having caught the error, stayed with his bag across South Dakota and into Sioux Falls.

At this point, the night caught up to Oliver and he attempted to go to sleep. He uses a C-PAP. And, unfortunately, the electricity on the bus proved to be faulty. Ten times during the night, he awoke when his C-PAP shut off. However, he lays no blame on Jefferson for this as they were very apologetic about the complication and he did survive the night.

Minneapolis, unfortunately, is a Greyhound Station, despite it also being the Jefferson Lines corporate headquarters. By this point, three nights had elapsed and Oliver had only managed, at most, 4 hours of sleep per night, the whole time in a seated position. Whilst being loaded into a Greyhound bus from Minneapolis to Chicago, the driver and station personnel responsible for loading him onto the bus manhandled his chair by shoving, pulling, and yanking it into positions of their choice by the seat back, contrary to his explicit orders not to. This ultimately damaged the seat back. The actual trip from Minneapolis to Chicago was uneventful, as Oliver slept the whole way.

In Chicago, everything got better... and much, MUCH worse. The station’s chief baggage handler saw to the handling of Oliver’s bag personally and attempted to console Countess as to her lost baggage. Heartened by the good treatment he and Countess had experienced at the hands of the chief baggage handler, and with memories of a similar wheelchair lift problem in Chicago on a similar trip two years prior having been handled remarkably well by the personnel at that station, Oliver decided that it would be in his best interests to talk to the customer service representatives who are stationed permanently at Chicago to see if his troubles for this trip could be similarly resolved.

He could not have been more wrong.

The customer service agent who took his complaint was not only extremely dismissive of his problems, but having not heard that the lift issue in Seattle took place before he used the lift, took it upon herself to tell him to his face that “weight is not a disability.” That, “they shouldn’t have to accommodate someone whose only disability is being fat.” That, “the ADA has limits and you should know them.”

With Oliver now stunned into, in his own words “Beached Fish-style Silence” (mouth moving, no words coming out), she then walked away, talking quite well above conversational levels, about “entitled people who abuse the ADA”, carrying this monologue throughout the station amongst the other station and talking about how it contributes so heavily to the delays in Greyhound service.

(Editors’ Note: I’m glad I wasn’t there. As a female-bodied person with a disability causing insulin resistance, I feel very strongly about fat shaming and ableism. This person was 1000% out of line and it’s a common intimidation tactic to do what she did to pit other people against the disabled. Thankfully, it didn’t work to turn them against him, though it did silence him, an abuse survivor with PTSD. Just be aware. This is a not-uncommon corporate tactic and NOBODY should tolerate it.)

He left Chicago, en route to Baltimore, via Cleveland and Pittsburgh. A mostly uneventful day passed crossing Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Alas, in Indiana, it was discovered that, like most drivers, this driver did not appreciate the thought of letting a wheelchair using passenger off the bus at meal stops. Oliver, at the outer limits of his capacity, is able to walk roughly 330 feet (100 meters) in a day. This meant that he could not easily walk into and out of the Howe, IN travel plaza, though he forced himself to do so anyway, as the alternative would be going roughly a full day without food. At all previous food stops, the driver or another passenger had been willing to take an order and money from Oliver, preventing delays. Indeed, the driver across Montana was so upset at herself for having to do so, that she kindly bought his food in Missoula with her own money. (Not surprisingly, she was a Jefferson employee....) The driver in Indiana? Not so much.

Given that he had no choice, Oliver walked into the travel plaza, purchased food and went back to the bus, collapsing in agony. At this point, it must be noted that, in addition to Moyamoya Disease, the condition that puts Oliver in a wheelchair is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type VI, a degenerative connective tissue disorder. (Those interested can find more information online.)

After sitting in chair in agony for another hour and a half, the ride eventually returned to normal. Everything was fine into Cleveland. However, because on most Greyhound Busses, the restroom is in the back and the wheelchair seating is in the front, Oliver found himself needing to use the washroom in Cleveland, rather than doing so en route. This meant he had only enough time to either use the washroom or get food, not both. Given the choice, he decided to use the washroom. He was required to do so without his chair again. Upon reboarding, they were informed that, due to accumulated delays en route, they would not be having a rest stop at Pittsburgh, but would instead be continuing through the night into Baltimore. Thankfully, they had switched drivers in Cleveland, and when the new driver was told of Oliver’s needs, re-added a very short break in Pittsburgh to the trip to accommodate. This was necessary, as had he not had stopped in Pittsburgh, he would have been unable to use a washroom or acquire liquid to take his medicine.

From Pittsburgh, they then made Baltimore. However, somewhere in Ohio, (likely at Cleveland), Oliver’s luggage got lost. The loss was discovered in Baltimore when the suitcase did not appear at the side of the bus. He was told at Baltimore that it almost certainly had gone on to Richmond without him. That could not have been, as Oliver witnessed it being loaded in Chicago. The only possibility is that it had been unloaded at a station stop between Baltimore and Chicago, the most likely being Cleveland.

By this point, Oliver was too physically exhausted and emotionally worn out to do more than file a half-hearted complaint. This was also when Oliver discovered that his bus, which was to go from Baltimore to Richmond, having originated in New York, was running at least 4 hours late. No reason was ever given, though Oliver suspects it had to do with the blackout of Manhattan that day.

Two buses left Baltimore with a destination of Richmond, (including one that was an express between Baltimore, DC and Richmond), before his scheduled bus arrived. However, Greyhound would not change the ticket, due to the inconvenience to them of putting a wheelchair on one of those busses. His bus finally did arrive in Baltimore, 4 1/2 hours late. He boarded, minus trouble and luggage and proceeded to groggily travel through DC during rush hour, finally arriving in Richmond at 3:15 PM EDT on Sunday the 14th. This is a full 19 hours later than he should have, on a day when Richmond’s bus system is on a limited schedule and the only local wheelchair transports are impossible unless pre-booked.

At this point, I fetched him from the station, using what means I had, and guided him to my house, via these limited busses. This forced us to hike/roll a mile and a half from the last bus stop served to home, in 90 degree F (33 C) heat and both of us exhausted, angry and miserable.

He is now here, finally, and has had a full night’s sleep. Where his story goes from here is anyone’s guess, but I think it safe to say it won’t be getting there via Greyhound, as they have lost a lifelong customer.

[warau-okami]

Japan's 'vanishing' Ainu will finally be recognized as indigenous people

A bill, which was passed on Friday, for the first time has officially recognized the Ainu of Hokkaido as an "indigenous" people of Japan. The bill also includes measures to make Japan a more inclusive society for the Ainu, strengthen their local economies and bring visibility to their culture.

Japanese land minister Keiichi Ishii told reporters Friday that it was important for the Ainu to maintain their ethnic dignity and pass on their culture to create a vibrant and diverse society.Yet some warn a new museum showcasing their culture risks turning the Ainu into a cultural exhibit and note the bill is missing one important thing -- an apology.

Ainu Moshir (Land of the Ainu)

The origins of the Ainu and their language remain unclear, though many theories exist.

They were early residents of northern Japan, in what is now the Hokkaido prefecture, and the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, off the east coast of Russia. They revered bears and wolves, and worshiped gods embodied in the natural elements like water, fire and wind.

In the 15th century, the Japanese moved into territories held by various Ainu groups to trade. But conflicts soon erupted, with many battles fought between 1457 and 1789. After the 1789 Battle of Kunasiri-Menasi, the Japanese conquered the Ainu.

Japan's modernization in the mid-1800s was accompanied a growing sense of nationalism and, in 1899, the government sought to assimilate the Ainu by introducing the Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act.

The act implemented Japan's compulsory national education system in Hokkaido and eliminated traditional systems of Ainu land rights and claims. Over time, the Ainu were forced to give up their land and adopt Japanese customs through a series of government initiatives.Today, there are only two native Ainu speakers worldwide, according to the Endangered Languages Project, a organization of indigenous groups and researchers aimed at protecting endangered languages.

High levels of poverty and unemployment currently hinder the Ainu's social progress. The percentage of Ainu who attend high school and university is far lower than the Hokkaido average.

The Ainu population also appears to have shrunk. Official figures put the number of Ainu in Hokkaido at 17,000 in 2013, accounting for around 2% of the prefecture's population. In 2017, the latest year on record, there were only about 13,000.

However, Gayman, the Ainu researcher, says that the number of Ainu could be up to ten times higher than official surveys suggest, because many have chosen not to identify as Ainu and others have forgotten -- or never known -- their origins.

Mark John Winchester, a Japan-based indigenous rights expert, calls the new bill a "small step forward" in terms of indigenous recognition and anti-discrimination, but says it falls short of truly empowering the Ainu people. "Self-determination, which should be the central pillar of indigenous policy-making, is not reflected in the law," says Winchester.

Winchester and Gayman also say the government failed to consult all Ainu groups when drafting the bill.

For the Ainu elder Shimizu, the new bill is missing an important part: atonement. "Why doesn't the government apologize? If the Japanese recognized what they did in the past, I think we could move forward," says Shimizu."The Japanese forcibly colonized us and annihilated our culture. Without even admitting to this, they want to turn us into a museum exhibit," Shimizu adds, referring to the 2019 bill's provision to open an Ainu culture museum in Hokkaido.

Both Shimizu and Kano say the new law grants too much power to Japan's central government, which requires Ainu groups to seek its approval for state-sponsored cultural projects. Furthermore, they say the bill should do more to promote education.

Currently, Ainu youth are eligible for scholarships and grants to study their own language and culture at a few select private universities. But Kano says government funding should extend beyond supporting Ainu heritage, to support the Ainu people."We need more Ainu to enter higher education and become Ainu lawyers, film directors and professors," he says. "If that doesn't happen, the Japanese will always control our culture."

@languagesandshootingstars

[bryanharryrombough]

Japan’s government has been criticised by rights groups after it introduced a bill last month to recognise the country’s ethnic Ainu minority as Indigenous people for the first time.

The Ainu people – many of whom live in northern Hokkaido – have long suffered the effects of a forced assimilation policy and while discrimination has receded, inequality persists.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party said the objective of the bill was to "realise a society which will respect the pride of the Ainu."

If passed, legal restrictions would be relaxed to allow the Ainu to continue traditions such as salmon fishing and timber collection, and 1 billion yen ($12 million) would go towards growing tourism around their culture.

However, some representatives of the ethnic minority said the bill does not do enough to reverse the historical injustices they suffered since losing control of their ancestral lands more than a century ago.

Yuji Shimizu, chairman of the Ainu Kotan no Kai association, said it was full of “empty words”.

“There has been no apology,” he told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.

“There are no clauses in the bill which guarantee indigenous rights, such as the right to self-determination or land rights.”

A new national Ainu museum and a park scheduled to open in the Hokkaido town of Shiradoi next year are expected to bring in up to one million visitors.

“This is going to feed a few mouths but this is not a typical situation in our Ainu society,” said Satoshi Hatakeyama, chairman of the Mombetsu Ainu Association.

“I would like to see actualisation of inherent Indigenous rights such as the right to fish and to harvest whales.”

Professor Hiroshi Maruyama, an expert in environmental and Indigenous studies at the Muroran Institute of Technology in Hokkaido, has denounced the bill as being reminiscent of colonial-era policies.

He argued that under international law “free, prior and informed consent” is required by revising the legislation based on in-depth consultation with Indigenous groups.

 “The bill is set to be enacted into law in the Japanese parliament without explicit consent or endorsement from representatives of the Ainu community,” he said.

When the Meiji Restoration began 150 years ago, Japan did away with the military rule of shoguns and rapidly modernised under the consolidated power under an emperor.

The Ainu people were banned from practicing their customs and using their language and, like many Indigenous people around the world, struggled to keep their traditions.

A law passed in 1997 replaced the previous assimilation law and acknowledged the Ainu as an ethnic minority – not an Indigenous group.

The proposed legislation aims to change that, but has not appeased everyone.

Activists from Ainu groups holding banners and flags took to the streets of Hokkaido's capital city Sapporo on Sunday in protest. 

“Positioning Ainu culture at the centre of proposals and measures to promote tourism is nothing other than a scheme to sacrifice or exploit Ainu as a resource for tourism,” Mr Shimizu said.

[ellehalo]

The Cabinet approves a bill to recognize Japan’s ethnic Ainu minority as an indigenous people for the first time, after decades of discrimination and assimilation. http://bit.ly/2X1vuZi

[amer-ainu]

ON 15 February, the Cabinet of Japan approved a bill that officially recognises the Ainu as Indigenous people of northern Japan, many of which live in Hokkaido. Although Japan formally recognised the Ainu as an Indigenous group in 2008, concrete legal recognition has not been established until now.

The new ‘Bill on the implementation of the policies to realise a society where the pride of Ainu people are respected’ consists of 45 clauses and nine supplementary clauses. The first clause states that the Ainu are the Indigenous people of northern Japan and defines the nature of the bill; the fourth bans discrimination against them.

It even simplifies the procedures individuals must follow to obtain permission to collect timber from national forests for indigenous rituals and to catch salmon in rivers using traditional methods. Moreover, it defines the purpose and structure of the Symbolic Spaces for Ethnic Harmony – a national centre for promoting Ainu history and culture set to open in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, in April 2020. The national government will also be committed to subsidising similar local government projects.

Shiraoi Ainu Museum, Source: PixHound/Shutterstock

The bill, however, ultimately shies away from the genuine protection of Indigenous rights. It fails to directly address welfare policies, including life protection insurance, employment support schemes, and existing gaps in education levels. Furthermore, the bill does not acknowledge the immorality of past assimilation policies that have resulted in immeasurable losses for Ainu populations.

Merely defining a series of administrative procedures, the bill is limited to mandating the national and local governments to actively help preserve Ainu culture and improve the rest of the population’s understanding of it as well as of its people.

As such, it is not very difficult to identify the shortcomings of this so-called reform and condemn the government for its half-hearted approach to Indigenous issues.

Indeed, some activists and specialists have been quick to attack it. Some have argued that Japan’s Indigenous policies do not recognise Ainu self-determination and autonomy, disqualifying the country from meeting international human rights standards despite its government voting in favour of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007.

Nevertheless, it is too early to determine whether the new bill will prove useless or whether it will eventually benefit the Ainu people.

The new bill replaces the 1997 Ainu Culture Promotion Act (ACPA) that had also initially been largely criticised by Ainu activists and experts for explicitly rejecting the general concept of ‘Indigenous rights’. Some argued that the ACPA would not change anything and would fail to improve the socioeconomic status of the Ainu people.

However, the enactment of the ACPA actually encouraged – at least to an extent – individuals from the Ainu community to engage more in promoting their own culture. The Foundation for Ainu Culture, established under the ACPA, has hosted annual craft exhibitions and festivals across Japan that have arguably contributed to raising national awareness. Things seem to have changed, if even slightly, for the better over the past two decades with ACPA in place.

Additionally, in the past, government funding for cultural initiatives was only available on a case-by-case basis. The town of Biratori in Hokkaido, for example, where the famous Ainu village Nibutani is located, has long received financial assistance from the national government to temporarily employ workers in the development of Ainu cultural projects. The majority of project employees from the town have been of Ainu ethnicity.

Traditional Ainu dishes in Otaru museum. Hokkaido. Japan. Source: ArtNat/Shutterstock

Now, other local municipalities can facilitate similar programs under the new bill as well. That is, local governments can propose or plan an Ainu cultural promotion project and receive subsidies from the national government to create local employment, contributing to social and economic prosperity in the area.

Local Ainu populations naturally possess the required skills to work on these projects, meaning that the hiring process is based on merit rather than ethnicity.

In this way, the new bill can indirectly contribute to easing employment problems faced by the Ainu and to enhancing the socioeconomic status of Ainu communities in the region. Without compromising their identity, the Ainu are more easily able to live amongst other ethnic groups as ‘normal’ citizens of Japan.

While it is true that Japan’s law does not properly define who the Ainu are – only implying equality and rejecting collective Indigenous rights – this also means that regions with big Ainu communities are able to take advantage of the general lack of legal constraints. This results in there being less conflict with existing laws, and allows for greater social and economic prosperity that benefits the entire region instead of just the local Ainu populations.

Like ACPA, this new bill may well change social and economic conditions surrounding the Ainu in the long-term. From here, however, its success depends entirely on the tactics and initiatives local governments and individuals decide to implement.

Naohiro Nakamura is a senior lecturer in the School of Geography, Earth Science and Environment, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji.

This piece was first published at Policy Forum, Asia and the Pacific’s platform for public policy analysis and opinion.

Anyone in Japan with a greater understanding of the situation there (as well as less ambiguous translations) can tell me if I’m wrong, but it sounds to me that one of the details of this new Ainu bill scheme is to allow non-Ainu to request government funding as long as their projects are Ainu themed enough (like a souvenir shop, perhaps?) 

This particular article seems optimistic that somehow Ainu’s “natural” predisposition to certain skills would certainly guarantee their position at the front of hiring considerations, despite the bill stripping them of legally requiring Ainu folks involvement in Ainu cultural projects. 

On the other hand, it may offer Ainu folks who aren’t on the Japanese government’s registry (most Ainu are not registered) to benefit from financial assistance as well, at least in northern Japan. I’d be interested to know if that includes northern Honshu, or just Hokkaido. One issue that is consistently raised is how Ainu identity in the eyes of the occupying Japanese government is essentially region-locked. Hokkaido is a reservation in everything but name. 

So far everything I’ve read continues to illustrate the shallowness of the 2019 Ainu bill, and the naked avarice that motivates it. 

[brashley46]

Bill Officially Recognizes Japan's Ainu As Indigenous People https://t.co/p5ILdX9Czt

Bill Officially Recognizes Japan's Ainu As Indigenous People https://t.co/p5ILdX9Czt

— (((brashley46))) (@brashley46) February 16, 2019

via Twitter https://twitter.com/brashley46 February 16, 2019 at 12:21PM

[global-news-station]

TOKYO: 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.

The post Japan to recognise indigenous Ainu people for first time appeared first on ARYNEWS.

http://bit.ly/2GLaTmf

[ai-threat]

The Japanese government introduced a bill Friday to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu minority as an "indigenous" people for the first time, after decades of discrimination against the group. via /r/worldnews https://t.co/79sOOwBjj5

The Japanese government introduced a bill Friday to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu minority as an "indigenous" people for the first time, after decades of discrimination against the group. via /r/worldnews https://t.co/79sOOwBjj5

— Ai-Threat (@Ai_Threat) February 15, 2019

from Twitter https://twitter.com/Ai_Threat February 15, 2019 at 01:08PM via IFTTT

[uncleweed]

Bill finally recognizes Ainu as indigenous people of Japan. This is great news! https://t.co/hGwHTYWi8L

— magdalena osumi 💁🏼‍♀️ (@jt_mag_os) February 6, 2019

[amer-ainu]

How many times does the word "tourism" appear in this article? This is a baby step in the right direction, but the Japanese government is getting something out of it, and it is not an act of altruism or good will. Keep fighting the good fight. Japan and Russia are still hostile occupiers.