The Ainu people are one of the most mysterious ethnic groups known to mankind. He played a significant role in the development and settlement of the Far East and, above all, the territory of modern Japan. Modern scientists believe that the ancestors of the Ainu became the first people to appear on Japanese soil long before the Japanese themselves. However, the fate of the Ainu people was largely tragic as a result of the policy of the Japanese state aimed at developing and annexing new lands. The book, based on documentary materials and eyewitness accounts, describes the main milestones in the history of the Ainu people from ancient times to the present day, the nature of the relationship of the Ainu with the Japanese and the Japanese state and, later, with Russia.