The Ainu Nation and its Fate in Japan (1945_1990)

Abstract

Japan witnessed in the aftermath of World War II general 1945: Deep political and social transformations that included reshaping its national identity and expanding the scope of democracy under the American occupation, but that the transformations did not include the Ainu people, who continued to suffer from marginalization and exclusion, despite the new Japanese constitution of 1947 declaring the principle of equality among citizens.

The isolation of the Ainu worsened during the 1950s, when the central state ignored the privacy of the that Nationalism was imposed on them through policies of forced assimilation through educational curricula and government institutions that ignored the Ainu language and culture, and even considered the Ainu to be merely "backward Japanese" in need of civilization, which led to the erosion of their cultural identity.

The Japanese government ignored it in the 1960s.Twenty Local and international calls for recognition of the Ainu as an indigenous minority, Especially as Japanese nationalism has risen amid economic growth, So development policies in Hokkaido have been used to expand economic control over Ainu lands, without legal recognition of their historical rights to land, water, and hunting.

Ainu activists intensified their efforts in the 1970s, establishing cultural and political organizations to demand recognition as a distinct nationality and criticizing what they described as policies of "forced assimilation" Inspired by that the movements of other indigenous peoples, such as the Inuit and Native Americans, led to mounting pressure on the Japanese government.

Global awareness of indigenous peoples' issues grew during the 1980s, embarrassing the Japanese government in international forums. Especially Following reports by human rights organizations that confirmed the existence of systematic discrimination against the Ainu in the areas of education, employment, and social welfare. Despite that Pressures, no official recognition of the Ainu was issued until the end of the 1980s from the twentieth century.

Between 1945 and 1990, the fate of the Ainu hung in the balance between official neglect and civil struggle. So they resisted attempts at cultural erasure by clinging to their traditional festivals and spoken language, despite limited resources and support. Legal recognition was not achieved until after 1990, when the government began taking timid steps toward recognizing their culture and rights.