Japanese people

 are the people having identity as a Japanese. And  this word is often used to the people having the Japan nationality or looking for roots from Japan. Or domestically, this word can also be used as a ethnic group because of the almost same group. However, the definition of the "Japanese people" is very difficult.

Language

:(â†' See also Japanese language)
The Japanese language, the mother tongue of the majority of the world's Japanese, is a unique language, and has a unique writing system based in part on Chinese characters. Domestic Japanese people primarily use Japanese, and their literacy rate is 99% according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Culture and Religion

Bisque doll of MomotarÅ,
Japanese famous kid

:(â†' See also Culture of Japan, Religion in Japan)
Japanese culture has evolved greatly over the years, from the country's original JÅmon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Americas and Europe. And it become one element forming Japanese identity.
The Japanese people's concern towards religion is mostly related to mythology, traditions, and neighborhood activities rather than the source of morality or the guideline for one's life, for which sometimes Confucianism, or even Taoism, tends to serve as the basis for the moral code. According to the CIA World Factbook, when asked to identify their religion, most (84%) profess to believe both Shinto and Buddhism.

Domestic ethnic groups

*Japanese (Yamato, Ryukyuans, (Ainu)) - About 99%
*Others (Brazilian, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Filipino, other) - About 1%

Japanese living abroad

:(â†' See also Economy of Japan, History of Japan)

Japanese citizens abroad

The number of Japanese citizens living abroad is estimated to be over 1 million persons, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. By country, the highest number, were living in the United States, followed by People's Republic of China. The number of person who reside in Brazil was the third largest and that of United Kingdom came fourth.

" Nikkei " people

:(â†' For other uses of the term see Nikkei.)
The term , usually refers to people who live outside Japan, who either emigrated from Japan or are descendants of a person who emigrated from Japan.
Japanese people's migration started with migration to Hawaii in the first year of the Meiji era in 1868.And it has a about 140-year long history.The total of the migrant population is about 1 million.About 750,000 people emigrated before WWII, and about 250,000 emigrated after the war.But, in late years the number of person who emigrate from Japan is very small.According to the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad, there are an estimated 2.5 million Nikkei people living in their adopted countries other than Japan, many of them in Brazil and United States, in 2000.They have participated in the many fields, and made contributions to economic and social development in their adopted countries.And they have played an important role in promoting mutual understanding and progress in the friendly relationships between Japan and their adopted countries.
The largest communities are in the Brazil (mainly SÃ£o Paulo and ParanÃ¡) and United States (mainly Hawaii and the West Coast). There are also sizable communities in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and other.
*Japanese American - Nikkei American
**Issei Japanese American - 1st generation of Nikkei American (emigrants from Japan)
**Nisei Japanese American - 2nd generation of Nikkei American
**Sansei Japanese American - 3rd generation of Nikkei American
*Japanese Argentines - Nikkei Argentines
*Japanese Brazilian - Nikkei Brazilian
*Japanese Canadian - Nikkei Canadian
*Japanese Filipino - Nikkei Filipino
*Japanese Peruvian - Nikkei Peruvian

Imperial Japan period

:(â†' See also Imperial Japan)
In the times when Japan had ever held a foreign land, the "Japanese people" word was a general idea of nationality including an aborigine of a foreign land given the Japan nationality such as Taiwanese and Korean. It was strongly aware of Imperial Japan being a multiracial nation, and the people equivalent to current Japanese people were called "inland people".
Some of the Nivkhs and the Ulta people who lived in south Sakhalin had the Japan nationality. Therefore they were forced sent back as "Japanese people" to Hokkaido by Soviet Union after the end of WWII.

Origins of Japanese

Location Map of Japan

:(â†' See also History of Japan)
The most accepted theory is that present-day Japanese are primarily descendants of both the Jomon people and fewer the Yayoi people.

Introduction

Archaeological evidences indicates that Stone Age people lived in the Japanese Archipelago between 33,000 and 21,000 years ago in the Paleolithic period. Japan was then connected to mainland Asia by land bridges, and nomadic hunter-gatherers crossed over from the East asia, Siberia and possibly Kamchatka. They left flint tools, but no evidence of permanent settlements.
The peoples of North Asia and Central Asia, have relatively tall statures, well-defined features (such as longer noses and higher cheekbones) and relatively hairy bodies and faces. These are features considered to be the "prototype" Mongoloid physical type which is a historical definition of race as defined by Carleton S. Coon. The Japanese and Ainu inherit these prototypical physical features.In a recent study, similarity with the people in the neighborhood of Lake Baikal is pointed out by a distribution result of DNA.

Jomon and Ainu people

The world's first known pottery was developed by the Jomon people in the 14th millennium BC. The name, "Jomon" (ç¹©ç´‹ JÅmon), which means "cord-impressed pattern", comes from the characteristic markings found on the pottery. The Jomon people were Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, though at least one middle to late Jomon site ca. 1200-1000 BC had a primitive rice-growing agriculture (å—æºæ‰‹ Minami misote site). They relied primarily on fish for protein. It is believed that the Jomon had very likely migrated from North Asia or Central Asia and became the Ainu of today.
Research suggests that the Ainu retain a certain degree of uniqueness in their genetic make-up, while having some affinities with different regional populations in Japan as well as the Nivkhs of the Russian Far East.(Tajima 2004) Based on more than a dozen genetic markers on a variety of chromosomes and from archaeological data showing habitation of the Japanese Archipelago dating back 30,000 years, it is argued that the Jomon actually came from Northeastern Asia and settled on the islands far earlier than some have proposed.

Yayoi people

Around 400-300 BC, the Yayoi people began to live in the Japanese islands, intermingling with the Jomon. Some scholars say that the Yayoi migrated through Korean Peninsula to Northern Kyushu. but others suggest that they came from southeastern Mainland China. The Yayoi are believed to have brought continental's advanced technology to Japan. Although the islands were abundant with resources for hunting and gathering, a far more productive rice-growing agriculture slowly spread and Japan began to make its steps into next civilization.

Controversy and Reference

There are various disputes about the origin of ancient Japanese people. Its topics are where Jomon and Yayoi people came from.Particularly, scholars dispute where Yayoi people came from. Some of them point out possibility related some Asians (East Asians, Southeast Asians, and etc). However, a clear answer doesn't exist.
(â†' See reference [1][2][3] [4][5][6][7][8][9] pdf[10]pdf[11])

External links

*[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html#People CIA The World Fact Book 2006]
*The Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad - International Language
*Discover Nikkei - What is Nikkei, Japanese migrants and their descendants
*Jun-Nissei Literature and Culture in Brazil - by Zelideth Maria Rivas, Center for Latin American Studies,UC Berkeley
*The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan - English, Imformation of Japanese abroad
*Japan National Institute of Genetics
*The National Museum of Japanese History
*Exhibit JÅmon versus Yayoi - Japanese page

Japanese people: Encyclopedia BETA

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