HOKKAIDO - The first hearing in a lawsuit seeking the return of 279 sets of Ainu ancestral remains from the Japanese government was held on September 4, marking the first time an Ainu group has taken the state to court over the return of human remains.
The lawsuit was filed by Shibechari Ainu Tribe, an Ainu organization based in Shinhidaka, Hokkaido, seeking the return of remains that were removed and taken to Hokkaido University and other institutions for research purposes.
The remains are currently stored at a memorial facility at Upopoy, the National Ainu Museum and Park, in Shiraoi, Hokkaido.
The plaintiffs argue that, in accordance with Ainu customs and spiritual beliefs, the remains of their ancestors should be returned to the places from which they were taken.
The government, however, has asked the court to dismiss the claim, arguing that the plaintiff organization does not qualify under the Civil Code as a successor responsible for ancestral rites and therefore does not have legal ownership of the remains.
Shibechari Ainu Tribe Chairman Tsutomu Takatsuki said removing remains from a person's grave was an insult. "I think having remains taken from your own grave is an insult," he said. "Asking for the bones of your own relatives to be returned is a natural right."
The case is the first in Japan in which an Ainu group has sought the return of ancestral remains directly from the national government.
Source: HBCニュース 北海道放送
