Lepus Rex, did the Ainu ever inhabit all of the islands? My understanding is that they only inhabited islands in the north. Are they no longer there? Are the rest of the Islands not under the control of their original inhabitants? If the Ainu are still there, are they not a part of the governance of Japan? Did they ever have any dispute over how Japan is governed, or are they as much in control of the Country as the other ethnic populations?