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→Meiji Period
In the final stages of the [[Boshin War]] that accompanied the [[Meiji Restoration]], some pro-Tokugawa loyalists were pushed back farther and farther north by pro-Imperial forces until they reached Ezochi; they regrouped there, nominally declaring a separate government - the [[Republic of Ezo]]. The Republic fell quickly, however.
In the final stages of the [[Boshin War]] that accompanied the [[Meiji Restoration]], some pro-Tokugawa loyalists were pushed back farther and farther north by pro-Imperial forces until they reached Ezochi; they regrouped there, nominally declaring a separate government - the [[Republic of Ezo]]. The Republic fell quickly, however.
Ainu were sparsely settled across the vast land area of Hokkaidô, which was thus seen by Japanese as, essentially, a "clean slate" or ''terra nullius''. Discussions or debates of prior decades were revived, with some suggesting the government take a relatively hands-off approach, allowing private interests (merchants/firms) and individual settlers to develop the land, and allowing Ainu to assimilate in an organic, gradual manner. Others argued that a more direct, focused effort of colonization be undertaken.<ref>Morris-Suzuki, "Creating the Frontier," p13.</ref>
The [[Meiji Emperor]] visited the territory for the first time in [[1881]].
Ezochi was formally incorporated into the Japanese state and renamed Hokkaidô in the 8th month of [[1869]]. The [[Hokkaido Development Office]], or Kaitakushi, was established at the same time, with [[Horace Capron]], a former US Secretary of Agriculture who played a prominent role in suppressing Native American opposition to American expansion, serving as one of the chief advisors. After a series of surveys and investigations, the [[o-yatoi gaikokujin|Western experts]] who had been brought in by the Japanese government disagreed widely with one another. Capron took the lead, suggesting a directed effort to bring in Japanese settlers to colonize Hokkaidô; deciding that the land was no good for growing rice, he advocated a more American way of life, raising wheat, eating bread, and living in Western-style brick homes with Western-style furniture and a largely Western-style diet. This latter set of suggestions was ultimately not followed, however, and lifestyle in Hokkaidô was instead adapted to conform to more Japanese norms - even if the land were indeed better for raising wheat and other grains rather than rice, a hardier strain of rice plant was instead developed, and other elements of Japanese culture and lifestyle were introduced (or imposed).<ref>Morris-Suzuki. "Creating the Frontier." p14.</ref>
The government banned a variety of Ainu practices, including [[tattoos|tattooing]], in [[1871]], and obliged all Ainu to speak [[Standard Japanese]]. In [[1876]], efforts began to force Ainu to adopt Japanese-style names, and the following year, the government began to claim Ainu lands as government property.<ref name=rekihaku>Gallery labels, National Museum of Japanese History (Rekihaku).[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11737713963/sizes/l]</ref> Ainu were dispossessed of their lands, and their traditional systems of land rights & hunting/fishing rights eradicated. Salmon fishing was prohibited, and river fishing remains illegal today, with exceptions made for traditional practices.<ref>Gallery labels, "Ainu Treasures," East-West Center. Feb 2013.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/8522638707/in/dateposted-public/]</ref> Under the [[Former Natives Protection Law]] of [[1899]], the seized lands were then reapportioned by the state, divvied up among the Ainu, who were each given up to five hectares of land to farm, along with tools, seed, and other materials. They were forced to assimilate and adopt Japanese customs, and were officially designated in [[1878]] as ''kyûdojin'' (旧土人), or "former aborigines," a term meant to highlight that Ainu identity was a thing of the past, and that they were now "Japanese." However, the "former Ainu" were at the same time acknowledged as a special, different, group worthy of government concern and welfare, their financial assets seized by the state and re-apportioned to programs aimed at ensuring their "welfare."
A [[Hokkaido Land Regulation Ordinance]] promulgated by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1872]] incorporated the territory even more fully into the state. Though originally divided into several prefectures, these were combined into a single "Hokkaidô [prefecture]" in [[1886]]. The [[Meiji Emperor]] visited the territory for the first time in [[1881]].
Systems in place throughout much of Japan for the democratic election of prefectural government were implemented in Hokkaidô in [[1901]], and the democratic election of representatives for the [[Imperial Diet]] beginning in [[1902]] ([[Okinawa prefecture]] saw these same changes some years later, in [[1909]] and [[1912]] respectively).
Systems in place throughout much of Japan for the democratic election of prefectural government were implemented in Hokkaidô in [[1901]], and the democratic election of representatives for the [[Imperial Diet]] beginning in [[1902]] ([[Okinawa prefecture]] saw these same changes some years later, in [[1909]] and [[1912]] respectively).