Kayano Shigeru

Kayano Shigeru ( Japanese 萱 野 茂 , Kayano Shigeru ; * 1926 in Biratori on Hokkaidō ; † May 6, 2006 in Sapporo ) was one of the few native speakers of the Ainu language and an important researcher of the Ainu culture. He was the founder and long-time director of the Ainu Nibutani Culture Museum in Nibutani , Hokkaidō, making him an important advocate of the culture and tradition of his people. As the first Ainu, he was represented in the Japanese House of Lords (1994-1998). Since the Socialist Party of Japan split into the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan in 1996 , he was a member of the Democratic Party until his death .

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Kayano is the family name, Shigeru the first name.