ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the emergence of new political movements against Japan's Ainu policy in civil society and amongst Ainu. It focuses on a Japanese model of Indigenous policy for the Ainu based on the Constitution of Japan that has been promoted by the Japanese Government and backed by researchers who represent it. The chapter explores what Indigenous policy ought to be considering international human rights law. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) 'builds upon well-established principles of human rights – including self-determination, equality, property, and cultural integrity – that are incorporated into widely ratified human rights treaties'. The aim of the UNDRIP is, therefore, 'to remedy the historical denial of the right of self-determination and related human rights so that indigenous peoples may overcome systemic disadvantage and achieve a position of equality vis-à-vis heretofore dominant sectors'.
