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Ainu Tribe Sues Japan for Return of 279 Ancestral Remains Held at National Museum Facility
The Shibechari Ainu Tribe filed suit in Sapporo District Court in May seeking the return of remains taken from graves by researchers. The remains are held at the National Ainu Museum and Park. The case follows a 2008 parliamentary resolution recognizing the Ainu as Indigenous.
Jul 20, 2:20 AM·1m read1 source
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The Shibechari Ainu Tribe filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government in May seeking the return of the remains of 279 Ainu ancestors. The case was lodged with the Sapporo District Court. The remains were removed from Ainu graves by researchers between the late 19th and 20th centuries.
They are now stored at a memorial facility at the National Ainu Museum and Park, known by its Ainu name Upopoy. The Shibechari Ainu Tribe, an Indigenous community in Hokkaido, stated that it hopes the lawsuit will establish a legal precedent addressing the injustices caused by the removal of the remains.
Japan’s parliament passed a resolution in June 2008 calling on the government to recognize the Ainu as an Indigenous people.
The new legal action shows that securing Ainu rights continues to present challenges nearly two decades later.
