Remains of Ainu People in Britain to Be Returned to Japan

   Tokyo, April 25 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government said Friday that the remains of three Ainu indigenous people kept at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland will be returned to Japan.
   The three male and female skulls are set to arrive at Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, on May 3, after a handover ceremony at the university Wednesday.
   They will be placed at a memorial facility at the National Ainu Museum and Park, or Upopoy, in the Hokkaido town of Shiraoi.
   It is the third time for remains of Ainu people taken abroad for research purposes to be returned to Japan, following the 2017 return from Germany and the 2023 return from Australia.
   The remains of the three Ainu people were given to the university in 1913 from a British doctor living in Japan. The university's possession of the remains came to light in 2023, prompting Tokyo to ask for their return.

(2025/04/25-22:04)