The is an umbrella group of which most

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East *Ainu languages, a family of languages **Ainu language of Hokkaido **Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands **Sakhalin Ainu la ...

and some other Ainu are members. Originally controlled by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

with the intention of speeding Ainu assimilation and integration into the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

nation state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...

, it now operates independently of the government and is run exclusively by Ainu. It was established in 1930 under the name . Since 1961 ''utari'' has been used instead of "Ainu". The group has been influential in raising public awareness of Ainu issues. The organization's name was changed back to Hokkaido Ainu Association in early 2009. From 1964 to 1996, its executive director was

Giichi Nomura Giichi Nomura (野村義一, October 20, 1914 – December 28, 2008) was an advocate and activist for the Ainu people of Japan. Born in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, Nomura, of Ainu descent, became a career fisheries executive. In 1960 he joined the Hokkaid ...

Notes

External links

Hokkaido Utari Association
Ainu politics Indigenous rights organizations in Asia Cultural organizations based in Japan Ainu organizations Organizations established in 1930 1930 establishments in Japan {{ainu-stub

See also

Notes

External links