In December 2005, Dr. Mutsuo Nakamura, the then-president of Hokkaido University, declared it the university’s duty to provide national and international research and education programs featuring Ainu and other indigenous minorities while respecting their dignity in light of the historical background of the university and the Ainu people.
Based on this declaration, the Center for Ainu & Indigenous Studies (CAIS) was established as one of the university’s research facilities in April 2007. The Center plans to conduct comprehensive and interdisciplinary studies into Ainu and other indigenous peoples and to make proposals for their reciprocal coexistence in a multicultural society.
