EVENT

Upopoy – A New National Centre for Ainu History & Culture: Talk by Tone Toshiya


民族共生象徴空間

Opening in Hokkaido in May 2020 amid the natural splendour of Shiraoi’s Lake Poroto area, Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park aims to serve as Japan’s national centre for the revival and development of Ainu culture.

In this talk, Tone Toshiya, Director General of the Japanese Government’s Comprehensive Ainu Policy Office, provides a background to the history of the Ainu in Japan and the Japanese Government’s Ainu Policy, while discussing the development of the Upopoy, Japan’s first national museum to feature Ainu history and culture.

This talk is part of a season of events held in collaboration with Hokkaido Prefecture in conjunction with the opening of Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park in 2020.

About the speaker

Tone Toshiya was born in Osaka. After graduating from The University of Tokyo, he entered Japan’s Ministry of Finance. He has also worked in local government and the Embassy of Japan in Canada. Since July 2019, he has held the position of Director-General for both Policy Planning at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and for the Comprehensive Ainu Policy Office, Cabinet Secretariat.