page_title: Ainu people
section_title: Institutions
hierarchical_section_title: Ainu people / Institutions
caption_attribution_description: English: Sapporo Ainu Cultural Promotion Center in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 日本語: 札幌市アイヌ文化交流センター
context_page_description: The Ainu or the Aynu, also known as the Ezo in historical Japanese texts, are an East Asian ethnic group indigenous to Japan, the original inhabitants of Hokkaidō and Russia.
  Official estimates place the total Ainu population of Japan at 25,000. Unofficial estimates place the total population at 200,000 or higher, as the near-total assimilation of the Ainu into Japanese society has resulted in many individuals with Ainu heritage having no knowledge of their ancestry.
context_section_description: Most Hokkaidō Ainu and some other Ainu are members of an umbrella group called the Hokkaidō Utari Association. It was originally controlled by the government to speed Ainu assimilation and integration into the Japanese nation-state. It now is run exclusively by Ainu and operates mostly independently of the government.
  Other key institutions include The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture (FRPAC), set up by the Japanese government after enactment of the Ainu Culture Law in 1997, the Hokkaidō University Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies established in 2007, as well as museums and cultural centers. Ainu people living in Tokyo have also developed a vibrant political and cultural community.
  Since late 2011, the Ainu have cultural exchange and cultural cooperation with the Sámi people of northern Europe. Both the Sámi and the Ainu participate in the organization for Arctic indigenous peoples and the Sámi research office in Lapland (Finland).
  Currently, there are several Ainu museums and cultural parks. The most famous are:
  National Ainu Museum – formerly the Ainu Museum
  Kawamura Kaneto Ainu museum
  Ainu Kotan
  Ainu folklore museum
  Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples
caption: Ainu cultural promotion centre and museum, in Sapporo (Sapporo Pirka Kotan)
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