Actual Living Conditions of the Hokkaido Ainu
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According to the Survey on the Hokkaido Ainu Living Conditions conducted
in 2006 by the Hokkaido Government, the Ainu population in HokkaidoNote 1 is 23,782 in 72 municipalities. About 59.5% of these live in the
subprefectures of Hidaka and Iburi (as shown on the map to the below).
It is estimated that the Ainu population is far larger than the results
indicate due to the constraints of the survey. In addition, as the survey
was limited to the Ainu living in HokkaidoNote 2 and its questions were
limited, the results cannot be said to fully reflect the reality of Ainu
living conditions.
However, even with these limitations, the severity of Ainu life and educational circumstances is clear.
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Note 1: The Hokkaido Government defined the Ainu in Hokkaido as
those of Ainu descent as well as those living with descendants of the
Ainu through marriage, adoption and so forth in local communities, and
counted only those who identify themselves as Ainu.
Note 2: A nationwide actual condition survey was requested by the U.N.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, but has not been
conducted. The latest figures on the Ainu population outside Hokkaido are
from an actual condition survey conducted in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area
in 1988, in which the Ainu population was estimated at 2,700. |
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Ratio of the Ainu in employment by industry (%)
Of those who are employed, 28.6% are engaged in primary industry
such as agriculture and fisheries. Even when those in secondary
industry (such as manufacturing and construction) and those who run
small- and medium-sized businesses in tertiary industry are included,
the numbers in management positions are trifling.
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| Over the 34 years,those engaged primary indusry decreased by more than
half. On the other hand, those in tertiary industry increased by more than
2.5 times. |
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1972 |
1999 |
2006 |
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Primary industry
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63.2 |
29.5 |
28.6 |
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Secondary industry
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20.0 |
27.8 |
27.7 |
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Tertiary industry
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15.4 |
35.4 |
41.1 |
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Ratio of those receiving welfare assistance (‰)
The number of people per 1,000 receiving livelihood
protection. (Note that the ratio is higher in Hokkaido than the
national average.)
Approximately 81.1% of respondents said that life was very difficult or
somewhat difficult, showing a significant improvement from the last survey
(80.6%). The number of Ainu receiving livelihood protection increased by
approximately 1.6 times, indicating a slight deterioration in terms of
the ratio. (The figures in "All" indicate average numbers in
the municipalities where the Amu live.)
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1972 |
1979 |
1986 |
1993 |
1999 |
2006 |
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Ainu
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115.7 |
68.6 |
60.9 |
38.8 |
37.2 |
38.3 |
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All
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17.5 |
19.5 |
21.9 |
16.4 |
18.4 |
24.6 |
Numbers for the overall or general population are the average for the municipalities
in which Ainu live.
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Ratio of those going on to high school and university (%)
93.5% of the Ainu go on to high school compared with the general average
of 98.3%, while the ratio of those progressing to university is a low 17.4%
compared with the general average of 38.5%. As education plays an important
role in the improvement of the Ainu's social standing, the alleviation
of this disparity is an urgent priority. |
| （％） |
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1972 |
1979 |
1986 |
1993 |
1999 |
2006 |
| High schools |
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Ainu |
41.6 |
69.3 |
78.4 |
87.4 |
95.2 |
93.5 |
All |
78.2 |
90.6 |
94.0 |
96.3 |
97.0 |
98.3 |
| Universities |
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Ainu |
- |
8.8 |
8.1 |
11.8 |
16.1 |
17.4 |
All |
- |
31.1 |
27.4 |
27.5 |
34.5 |
38.5 |
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Remaining discrimination
16.8% of respondents indicated they had experienced discrimination that
they could remember, while 13.8% indicated that they had not experienced
discrimination themselves but knew someone who had.
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| Have you ever suffered discrimination? |
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Situation of discrimination
(Total of respondents and others; recent 6 to 7 years)
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