Giichi Nomura (野村義一, October 20, 1914 – December 28, 2008) was an advocate and activist for the

Ainu people The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Ku ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Born in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, Nomura, of Ainu descent, became a career fisheries executive. In 1960 he joined the Hokkaido Utari Association, an Ainu advocacy group. Nomura represented the organization in several positions, including executive director from 1964 to 1996. In 1992, Nomura spoke at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

concerning Ainu issues including Japan's policy of forced assimilation. Nomura spoke of the Japanese government's attitude towards the Ainu people: "In the eyes of the government, we are a people whose existence must not be admitted."''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

'', "r.i.p", January 30, 2009, p. 7. Nomura died in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido on December 28, 2008.

References

1914 births 2008 deaths Japanese Ainu people People from Hokkaido Japanese human rights activists Ainu activists Activists from Hokkaido {{ainu-bio-stub