The Despised Ainu People - Japan

October 1994 - An insightful report on racial discrimination in Japan. A small boy denies his Ainu ancestry for fear of being bullied in a society where conformity is valued above all else. The Ainu people of the northern island of Hokkaido are despised by the rest of Japan. Different in appearance and language they have suffered more than a century of discrimination. They are denied their traditional fishing rights, their sacred sites are being destroyed and tourists come to gawk at their culture in museums. Now, the Ainu are fighting back. They have at last won a seat in the Japanese parliament and many are re-learning the Ainu tongue. The Ainu are struggling to preserve their unique heritage in the face of an urbanised and uncaring modern Japan.

• Category

  News & Politics

[1301283]

I think you're missing the point.

[DRAKONETTA]

not all people of a single race,country or culture are exactly the frikkin same.

[LionEntity]

Long live the Ainu People!!!!

[furbylady05]

The mispronouncations in this video are making me cringe

[gonzo93041]

Considering that they were cut off from the rest of the world, it's pretty astonishing what some Amerindian peoples (Mesoamericans, Andeans) were able to accomplish. I doubt you whites would have done any better if put in the same position. Out of all the technologies which supposedly made you superior to the Amerindians (guns, writhing, metalworking advanced math, the printing press, etc), none of these were created by Europeans. Without outside help, whites would have remained savages.

[titlihoon1988]

At least they are doing it..Unlike u who just blabber on youtube

[rafpac6]

Yes because it is these same very Americans who are involved the genocide you are talking about. Don't be a racist, these Americans probably don't stand for the oppression in their culture or country as well. They are revolting against faggots like you who point fingers at an entire race. Because I am the son of a murderer doesn't make me a murderer. Because I come from a country of oppression does not make me an oppressor. Because my backyard is filthy doesn't make me mute or dumb.

[rafpac6]

The purpose of documentaries like these are to stop us from pointing fingers at races. We don't know what every Japanese person thinks so we should not be calling the whole race assholes. However there do seem to be others on this comment section who could either be assholes or completely brainwashed idiots.

[bradlee180]

Typical, americans and canadians condemning this, but look to your own backyards and your countries' skeletons in the closet as you've done and continue to do EXACTLY this to the First Nations with legislated cultural genocide and oppression...

[Raquel Gomez]

sucks ass man

[jarryda]

Because every culture except white ones definitely DIDN'T do that at some point.