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The "Former Natives Protection Law" was a piece of legislation put into place by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1899]] and aimed at the assimilation of the [[Ainu]] prople (i.e. transforming them into Japanese citizens) and at ensuring their welfare. Though including many provisions for providing welfare services to the Ainu people, the law (combined with other development/colonization policies) created devastating economic difficulties for the Ainu, endangering their livelihoods. It is also heavily criticized today as a fundamental piece of colonialist/imperialist/racist policies in [[Hokkaido|Hokkaidô]], which by identifying Ainu as "former aborigines" implied that Ainu identity was a thing of the past, and denied them aboriginal status. As late as the 1980s, Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro was famously quoted as saying that Japan had no native ethnic minorities, and that all Japanese people were indigenous to Japan.

The "Former Natives Protection Law" was a piece of legislation put into place by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1899]] and aimed at the assimilation of the [[Ainu]] prople (i.e. transforming them into Japanese citizens) and at ensuring their welfare. Though including many provisions for providing welfare services to the Ainu people, the law (combined with other development/colonization policies) created devastating economic difficulties for the Ainu, endangering their livelihoods. It is also heavily criticized today as a fundamental piece of colonialist/imperialist/racist policies in [[Hokkaido|Hokkaidô]], which by identifying Ainu as "former aborigines" implied that Ainu identity was a thing of the past, and denied them aboriginal status. As late as the 1980s, Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro was famously quoted as saying that Japan had no native ethnic minorities, and that all Japanese people were indigenous to Japan.

Under the provisions of the Former Natives Protection Law, the Meiji state eliminated traditional systems of Ainu land rights or land claims, seizing all of their land and redistributing it. Ainu were given up to five hectares of land<ref>Whether this was five hectares per person, per family, per adult male, or by some other system is not clear from the scholarship cited here.</ref> to farm, along with tools, seed, and other materials or equipment, and were mandated to farm that land. Land left uncultivated for fifteen years was confiscated. Special hardy strains of rice were introduced to be cultivated in Hokkaidô, and a rice-based Japanese mode of agriculture culture and society was strongly encouraged; this, despite the fact that Ainu never traditionally grew rice, and were more accustomed to (and skilled at) hunting, fishing, skinning, and growing certain kinds of vegetables and other crops (other than rice).

Under the provisions of the Former Natives Protection Law, the Meiji state eliminated traditional systems of Ainu land rights or land claims, seizing all of their land and redistributing it. Ainu were given up to five ''chô'' of land per household to farm, along with tools, seed, and other materials or equipment, and were mandated to farm that land. Land left uncultivated for fifteen years was confiscated. Special hardy strains of rice were introduced to be cultivated in Hokkaidô, and a rice-based Japanese mode of agriculture culture and society was strongly encouraged; this, despite the fact that Ainu never traditionally grew rice, and were more accustomed to (and skilled at) hunting, fishing, skinning, and growing certain kinds of vegetables and other crops (other than rice).

Ainu monetary savings were also seized by the government, and put into a fund to be redistributed or otherwise used to benefit the "former natives." The [[Meiji education|national education system]] was implemented in Hokkaidô as throughout Japan, teaching Ainu children, along with Japanese children, to be good, patriotic, Japanese citizens.

Ainu monetary savings were also seized by the government, and put into a fund to be redistributed or otherwise used to benefit the "former natives." The [[Meiji education|national education system]] was implemented in Hokkaidô as throughout Japan, teaching Ainu children, along with Japanese children, to be good, patriotic, Japanese citizens.