Nippon Ham Fighters remove banners after complaints from Ainu

You can find interesting information about the Ainu separatist group (proposed state: Republic Of Ainu) and many, many others in Asia at this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_separatist_movements_in_Asia . There are also links to other areas of the World.

Imagine if Japanese companies asked people other than their self-made, often tax-paid panels for their opinions...

There is a cultural psychological theory championed by researchers such as Yuki Masaki, and Shinobu Kitayama that provides evidence that the Japanese (not Ainu) living in Hokkaido have a pioneer spirit, due to their higher "relational mobility" making and breaking social bonds, and in this respect resemble European North Americans more than other Japanese.

Kitayama, S., Ishii, K., Imada, T., Takemura, K., & Ramaswamy, J. (2006). Voluntary settlement and the spirit of independence: Evidence from Japan's" northern frontier.". Journal of personality and social psychology, 91(3), 369. Retrieved from http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~takemura/pdf/Kitayama_et_al_2006.pdf Schug, J., Yuki, M., & Maddux, W. (2010). Relational mobility explains between-and within-culture differences in self-disclosure to close friends. Psychological Science. Retrieved from http://133.87.26.249/dspace/bitstream/2115/47193/1/PS21-10_1471-1478.pdf

It's a total crime that the Ainu language is on the verge of extinction. After that, it's the Ryukyu languages.

It was only in 2008 that they were officially recognised as indigenous in a landmark parliamentary resolution.

Hardly true.

1899 Hokkaido Indigenous People Protection Law https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8C%97%E6%B5%B7%E9%81%93%E6%97%A7%E5%9C%9F%E4%BA%BA%E4%BF%9D%E8%AD%B7%E6%B3%95 Though the law is not of protective nature.

1997 Ainu Culture Promotion Law https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8C%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%E3%81%AE%E6%8C%AF%E8%88%88%E4%B8%A6%E3%81%B3%E3%81%AB%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8C%E3%81%AE%E4%BC%9D%E7%B5%B1%E7%AD%89%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E7%9F%A5%E8%AD%98%E3%81%AE%E6%99%AE%E5%8F%8A%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%B3%E5%95%93%E7%99%BA%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E6%B3%95%E5%BE%8B

2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_on_the_Rights_of_Indigenous_Peoples

2008 Japanese Diet declared Ainu indigenous people in the meaning of UN Declaration.

What do pigs think of the name Nippon HAM?

It was only in 2008 that they were officially recognised as indigenous in a landmark parliamentary resolution.

Geez... Better late than never I guess.

Bertie, I always have to kick in "modern" whenever the bureaucrats up here talk about "the development of Hokkaido" dating from 1870. Of course, the Ainu weren't the first people here either--not by a long shot--so their own self-mythologizing is not always on the historical mark either.

I really wish for the sake of the edification of the people of Japan that when some people are wronged and protest that their rights have been violated they say exactly which ones. The concept of rights is poorly understood as it is but by not being specific it tends to dilute the whole meaning.

Well it's factually correct, anyway.

I guess the banners do not translate well.

American Indians usually deal with the sun well. Never met one that was Red. Never met a Japanese that was Yellow either.

Some things seem to be going beyond rationalization.

@sf2kNOV. 10, 2015 - 09:12AM JST Are there laws protecting the Ainu? I mean, I realize the Parliament declared Ainu indigenous in 2008, but 7 years later what has that actually done?

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I don't think so. Some years ago, hotels and public bath houses created banning of anyone who have tattoos. One of Ainu cultures is tattoos.

Unfortunately Japan possesses a history of exploitation and racial discrimination against the Ainu people. That discrimination is deeply rooted and the fight against it is never ending for the Ainu people. It is a shame to admit that many of the politicians are ignorant and indifferent. I myself grew up in Japan and did not study about the Ainu people extensively in school or did not question about the development of Hokkaido. Today, many Ainu people are still struggling with the economic and social inequality. Hence this generation must change the ignorance and indifference of the Japanese society to improve the current status of the Ainu people.

Are there laws protecting the Ainu? I mean, I realize the Parliament declared Ainu indigenous in 2008, but 7 years later what has that actually done?

I was working on a translation/editing project for an exhibition in Sapporo years ago.

There was a huge poster to go up in a very conspicuous place that was to say, "This year marks 100 years since human beings came to Hokkaido."

It took several reports and meetings to convince the government workers who were running the exhibition that this was not exactly true and that Ainu were human beings too.