Suga Meets with Ainu People in Hokkaido

August 20, 2018

Kushiro, Hokkaido- Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga started a two-day trip to Hokkaido in northern Japan on Monday, including for talks with Ainu indigenous people.

He visited Akan-Mashu National Park in eastern Hokkaido on the day.

"I hope people around the world will understand how wonderful the Ainu culture is," Suga said during a meeting with residents in a village of Ainu, an ethnic minority group, near Lake Akan.

The visit was part of the government's efforts to promote the Ainu culture and attract tourists from abroad to the area and its neighbors.

His itinerary also included an inspection of Yezo deer meat processing and cheese production facilities.

On Tuesday, Suga is scheduled to give a speech in Sapporo, Hokkaido's capital, and visit the town of Kutchan, which will host a meeting of the Group of 20 tourism ministers in October 2019. He will also inspect immigration control at New Chitose Airport. Jiji Press