ABSTRACT
This chapter employs the lens of the Indigenous rights movement to shed light on the current situation of the Ainu people. First, a basic introduction to the culture and society of the Ainu are made, followed by a brief history of the experience of the Ainu under colonialism. Next, the focus shifts to a critical examination of recent developments affecting the Ainu: 2019 national Ainu policy legislation, the opening of a new National Museum of the Ainu, unresolved issues revolving around the repatriation of Ainu ancestral remains, and hate speech against ‘Ainu privilege’ by the net ultra-Right. It is noted that the majority of Ainu are silent about their ethnic identity. Lack of substantive Indigenous policy, complicated by reactionary conservativism, is interpreted as contributing to Ainu factionalism and by extension to the contested nature of manifestations of Ainu ethnicity: cultural promotion society activities, Ainu tourism, and Ainu rights activism. Lastly, Ainu pride is introduced as a positive avenue forward.
