Who Were the Ainu? - Japan’s First People Who Were Almost Erased from History

The Ainu people are an indigenous ethnic group in Japan, primarily residing in Hokkaido, as well as some regions of northeastern Japan and “Russia's” Kuril Islands. They have a distinct cultural heritage and history that predates the arrival of the Japanese in the region. Traditionally, the Ainu practiced hunting, fishing, and gathering as their main means of subsistence. Over the centuries, the Ainu people faced marginalization, discrimination, and forced assimilation by the Japanese government