Giichi Nomura was an advocate and activist for the Ainu people

Ainu people

The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...

 of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Born in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, Nomura, of Ainu descent, became a career fisheries executive. In 1960 he joined the Hokkaido Utari Association

Hokkaido Utari Association

The is an umbrella group of which most Hokkaidō Ainu and some other Ainu are members. Originally controlled by the government with the intention of speeding Ainu assimilation and integration into the Japanese nation state, it now operates independently of the government and is run exclusively by...

, an Ainu advocacy group. Nomura represented the organization in several positions, including executive director from 1964 to 1996.

In 1992, Nomura spoke at the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

concerning Ainu issues including Japan's policy of forced assimilation. Said Nomura of the Japanese government's attitude towards the Ainu people, "In the eyes of the government, we are a people whose existence must not be admitted." Nomura died in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido on December 28, 2008.