"Racial harassment" refers to discrimination and harassment related to race. Racial harassment, such as denial of the existence of Ainu people or unconscious discrimination, is now a social problem. Article 4 of the Ainu Policy Promotion Act: "No person shall discriminate against Ainu people or commit other acts that infringe on their rights and interests because they are Ainu." The Ainu Policy Promotion Act was enacted in 2019. It is the first law to position Ainu people as "indigenous people" and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of being Ainu. However, the anti-discrimination provisions of the Ainu Policy Promotion Act do not include penalties. In 2016, Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives Mio Sugita was found to have violated human rights after slandering Ainu and Korean women in Japan on her blog. She continued to make statements justifying her own actions. Governor Suzuki (April) "I have told the Minister that it is necessary to consider mechanisms for promoting correct understanding as a nation in order to eliminate unfounded discrimination and prejudice." This year marks the fifth year since the Ainu Policy Promotion Act came into force, and the law can be amended, but momentum for review has not been building in the government or the Diet. Yoshiko Tabara, who lives in Sapporo, is an Ainu person who was slandered by Representative Sugita, calling her ethnic costume "cosplay." At the end of March, Ms. Tabara submitted approximately 93,000 signatures that she had collected to a member of the Diet, calling for the law to be amended to make the prohibition of discrimination more effective. Yoshiko Tabara, who was slandered by Mr. Sugita, said, "(Discrimination) is not only spreading among us minorities, but also among the majority society. Of course, we have our own opinions, but I would also like to ask everyone if this is really okay." Direct discrimination has plagued the Ainu for a long time. Now, discrimination in a different form is becoming apparent. Comments on social media: "Seeing people who call themselves Ainu like you makes me feel sick in the morning. You need to accept it already, there are no more Ainu." On social media, there are many posts claiming that Ainu are given preferential treatment and that this is reverse discrimination, or that they deny their very existence. It is not just the denial of their existence that hurts Ainu people. There is also unconscious discrimination. The last day of Golden Week. Many tourists were visiting Upopoy, a symbolic space for ethnic coexistence in Shiraoi, Hokkaido. When tourists were asked about their image of Ainu people... A person from Obihiro said, "I have a strong image of them hunting. I imagine them playing music." A person from Sapporo said, "They're great, aren't they? They're rooted in nature, and rather human. They live with nature." Discrimination against Ainu people is not only direct. Discrimination through unconscious words and actions, known as "microaggressions," is also a problem. Book: "Ainu Moyamoya." This book conveys the environment surrounding Ainu people living in modern times and the thoughts of Ainu people. The book describes how an Ainu woman married to a Japanese man is confused by a casual comment made by her father-in-law. Excerpt from the book "Ainu Moya Moya" Father-in-law: "You know, the baby in your belly is probably good at drawing too." Daughter-in-law: "Why not?" Father-in-law: "Well, you see, he has Ainu blood in him. He's different from us." Daughter-in-law: "Oh, I see..." Father-in-law: "Everyone is equal!" Daughter-in-law: "He doesn't mean any harm whatsoever." Professor Kitahara Mokottunassi, the author of the book, points out that when considering discrimination against Ainu people, it is important to recognize the difference in power relations between the majority and minority. Professor Kitahara Mokkotunassi of Hokkaido University (author of "Ainu Moya Moya"): "We are always the ones asking questions, and humans inevitably have the sense that we are natural and normal. In cases where there is not much power between the other person, it is simply a misunderstanding, but the Ainu in Japanese society have always been oppressed by government policies. The current relationship between Ainu and Wajin is based on a history of experiencing direct discrimination." On June 6th, the Ainu Cultural Foundation, which manages and operates Upopoy, issued a declaration to address such discrimination, defining the denial of the existence of Ainu people and microaggressions as racial harassment. The Uainu Koro Declaration. In Ainu language, it means "mutual respect." Special Advisor Saito Motoya of the Ainu Cultural Foundation: "Microaggressions occur every day at Upopoy, for example, 'Are there still any pure Ainu?', or comments are made about the appearance of staff, such as whether they look Ainu or not, and in some cases, comments are made like, 'You're Ainu, but you're so...'. This is a declaration of our stance against racial harassment, and at the same time, a renewed declaration of the mission and role that our foundation must fulfill." Now that attention is being paid to the promotion of Ainu culture, it is necessary to take a firm stance against discrimination. The word "microaggression" has come up, which unintentionally and out of ignorance hurts people in minority positions such as the Ainu people, but the literal translation is "petty, small attacks." I hope that we can spread considerate thinking about how minority people view things in society. This was a special feature. Updated June 14, 2024 (Friday) 19:30 #Hokkaido #News #HBC ◆Please subscribe to the HBC News channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCTp