January 23, 2022

The Japanese government recently decided on a written answer showing its unwillingness to discuss the introduction of comprehensive measures in Japan in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by stating that the declaration is not legally binding.

The written response was compiled in response to a written question submitted by Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kami Tomoko in December last year in regard to the UNDRIP and the revision of the Act on Promoting Measures to Realize a Society in Which the Pride of the Ainu People Is Respected (the Ainu Promotion Act).

The Ainu Promotion Act was established in 2019. It requires the implementation of necessary measures five years after the enforcement of the law in accordance with the execution status.

The government in the written response only said that the revision of the Ainu Promotion Act will be discussed based on the law's provisions and supplementary resolution. However, it mentioned nothing about the current situation and the process involved regarding revision.

The UNDRIP in its preamble expressed concerns that indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of their colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, and thus being prevented from exercising their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests. The UN declaration states that it recognizes the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and social structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories, and philosophies.