The Ainu people were not recognised as an ethnic group until 2008, and had suffered general racism and discrimination up until that time. In 2008 the Japanese government passed a decree officially accepting them as an indigenous group. The resolution recognised the Ainu people as "an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and culture". The government immediately followed with a statement acknowledging its recognition, stating, "The government would like to solemnly accept the historical fact that many Ainu were discriminated against and forced into poverty with the advancement of modernization, despite being legally equal to (Japanese) people."