^ Note: For this country, only the number of residents withJapanese nationality is shown, since the number of naturalized Japanese people and their descendants is unknown.
In some contexts, the term "Japanese people" might be used to refer specifically to theYamato people, who are primarily from the historically principal islands ofHonshu,Kyushu andShikoku and constitute by far the largest group. In other contexts, the term could include other groups native to the Japanese archipelago, includingRyukyuan people, who share connections with the Yamato but are often regarded as distinct, andAinu people.[28] In recent decades, there has also been an increase in the number of people with both Japanese and non-Japanese roots, including those who arehalf Japanese.
Shakōki-dogū (遮光器土偶) (1000–400 BC), "goggle-eyed type" figurine.Tokyo National Museum
Archaeological evidence indicates thatStone Age people lived in the Japanese archipelago during thePaleolithic period between 39,000 and 21,000 years ago.[29][30] Japan was then connected to mainlandAsia by at least one land bridge, wherenomadichunter-gatherers crossed to Japan.Flint tools and bony implements of this era have been excavated in Japan.[31]
AfterWorld War II, Kotondo Hasebe and Hisashi Suzuki claimed that the origin of Japanese people did not lie in newcomers from theYayoi period (300 BCE – 300 CE) but people from theJōmon period.[34] However, Kazuro Hanihara announced a newracial admixture theory in 1984[34] and a "dual structure model" in 1991.[35] According to Hanihara, modern Japanese lineages began withJōmon people, who moved into theJapanese archipelago duringPaleolithic times, followed by a second wave of immigration, fromEast Asia to Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BC). Following a population expansion inNeolithic times, these newcomers then found their way to the Japanese archipelago sometime during the Yayoi period. As a result, replacement of the hunter-gatherers was common in the island regions ofKyushu,Shikoku, and southernHonshu, but did not prevail in the outlyingRyukyu Islands andHokkaido, and the Ryukyuan and Ainu people show mixed characteristics.Mark J. Hudson claims that the main ethnic image of Japanese people was biologically and linguistically formed from 400 BCE to 1,200 CE.[34] Currently, the most well-regarded theory is that present-day Japanese people formed from both the Yayoi rice-agriculturalists and the various Jōmon period ethnicities.[36] However, some recent studies have argued that theJōmon people had more ethnic diversity than originally suggested[37] or that the people of Japan bear significant genetic signatures from three ancient populations, rather than just two.[38][39]
Some of the world's oldest knownpottery pieces were developed by theJōmon people in theUpper Paleolithic period, dating back as far as 16,000 years. The name "Jōmon" (縄文,Jōmon) means "cord-impressed pattern", and comes from the characteristic markings found on the pottery. The Jōmon people were mostly hunter-gatherers, but also practiced early agriculture, such asAzuki bean cultivation. At least one middle-to-late Jōmon site (Minami Mizote (南溝手),c. 1200–1000 BC) featured a primitive rice-growingagriculture, relying primarily on fish and nuts for protein. The ethnic roots of the Jōmon period population were heterogeneous, and can be traced back to ancientSoutheast Asia, theTibetan Plateau, ancientTaiwan, andSiberia.[36][40][41]
Beginning around 300 BC, theYayoi people originating from Northeast Asia entered the Japanese islands and displaced or intermingled with the Jōmon. The Yayoi broughtwet-rice farming and advancedbronze andiron technology to Japan. The more productivepaddy field systems allowed the communities to support larger populations and spread over time, in turn becoming the basis for more advancedinstitutions and heralding the newcivilization of the succeedingKofun period.
The estimated population of Japan in the late Jōmon period was about eight hundred thousand, compared to about three million by theNara period. Taking the growth rates of hunting and agricultural societies into account, it is calculated that about one-and-a-half million immigrants moved to Japan in the period. According to several studies, the Yayoi created the "Japanese-hierarchical society".[42][43]
During theJapanese colonial period of 1895 to 1945, the phrase "Japanese people" was used to refer not only to residents of the Japanese archipelago, but also to people from colonies who held Japanesecitizenship, such asTaiwanese people andKorean people. The official term used to refer to ethnic Japanese during this period was "inland people" (内地人,naichijin). Such linguistic distinctions facilitated forcedassimilation of colonized ethnic identities into a single Imperial Japanese identity.[44]
Japanese religion has traditionally beensyncretic in nature, combining elements ofBuddhism andShinto (Shinbutsu-shūgō).[48] Shinto, apolytheistic religion with no book of religious canon, is Japan's native religion. Shinto was one of the traditional grounds for the right to the throne of the Japanese imperial family and was codified as the state religion in 1868 (State Shinto), but was abolished by theAmerican occupation in 1945.Mahayana Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century and evolved into many different sects. Today, the largest form of Buddhism among Japanese people is theJōdo Shinshū sect founded byShinran.[49]
A large majority of Japanese people profess to believe in both Shinto and Buddhism.[50][51][52] Japanese people's religion functions mostly as a foundation formythology,traditions and neighborhood activities, rather than as the single source of moral guidelines for one's life.[citation needed]
Decorative arts in Japan date back to prehistoric times.Jōmon pottery includes examples with elaborate ornamentation. In theYayoi period, artisans produced mirrors, spears, and ceremonial bells known asdōtaku. Later burial mounds, orkofun, preserve characteristic clay figures known ashaniwa, as well as wall paintings.
Beginning in theNara period, painting,calligraphy, andsculpture flourished under strong Confucian and Buddhist influences fromChina. Among the architectural achievements of this period are theHōryū-ji and theYakushi-ji, twoBuddhist temples inNara Prefecture. After the cessation of official relations with theTang dynasty in the ninth century, Japanese art and architecture gradually became less influenced by China. Extravagant art and clothing were commissioned by nobles to decorate their court, and although the aristocracy was quite limited in size and power, many of these pieces are still extant. After theTōdai-ji was attacked and burned during theGenpei War, a special office of restoration was founded, and the Tōdai-ji became an important artistic center. The leading masters of the time wereUnkei andKaikei.[citation needed]
Painting advanced in theMuromachi period in the form ofink wash painting under the influence ofZen Buddhism as practiced by such masters asSesshū Tōyō. Zen Buddhist tenets were also incorporated into thetea ceremony during theSengoku period. During theEdo period, the polychrome painting screens of theKanō school were influential thanks to their powerful patrons (including theTokugawa clan). Popular artists createdukiyo-e, woodblock prints for sale to commoners in the flourishing cities. Pottery such asImari ware was highly valued as far away as Europe.
In theater,Noh is a traditional, spare dramatic form that developed in tandem withkyōgen farce. In stark contrast to the restrained refinement of noh,kabuki, an "explosion of color", uses every possible stage trick for dramatic effect. Plays include sensational events such as suicides, and many such works were performed both in kabuki and inbunraku puppet theater.[citation needed]
Since theMeiji Restoration, Japanese art has been influenced by many elements of Western culture. Contemporary decorative, practical, and performing arts works range from traditional forms to purely modern modes. Products of popular culture, includingJ-pop,J-rock,manga, andanime have found audiences around the world.
Article 10 of theConstitution of Japan defines the term "Japanese" based uponJapanese nationality (citizenship) alone, without regard for ethnicity.[56] TheGovernment of Japan considers all naturalized and native-born Japanese nationals with a multi-ethnic background "Japanese", and in the national census the Japanese Statistics Bureau asks only about nationality, so there is no official census data on the variety ofethnic groups in Japan. While this has contributed to or reinforced the widespread belief that Japan is ethnically homogeneous, as shown in the claim of former Japanese Prime MinisterTarō Asō that Japan is a nation of "one race, one civilization, one language and one culture",[57] some scholars have argued that it is more accurate to describe the country of Japan as a multiethnic society.[58][59]
Children born to international couples receive Japanese nationality when one parent is a Japanese national. However, Japanese law states that children who aredual citizens must choose one nationality before the age of 20.[60][61] Studies estimate that 1 in 30 children born in Japan are born tointerracial couples, and these children are sometimes referred to ashāfu (half Japanese).[62]
The Japantown Peace Plaza during the Northern CaliforniaCherry Blossom Festival
The termNikkeijin (日系人) is used to refer to Japanese people who emigrated from Japan and their descendants.
Emigration from Japan was recorded as early as the 15th century to thePhilippines andBorneo,[63][64][65][66] and in the 16th and 17th centuries, thousands of traders from Japan also migrated to the Philippines and assimilated into the local population.[67]: pp. 52–3 However, migration of Japanese people did not become a mass phenomenon until theMeiji era, when Japanese people began to go to theUnited States,Brazil,Canada, thePhilippines,China, andPeru. There was also significant emigration to the territories of theEmpire of Japan during the colonial period, but most of these emigrants and settlersrepatriated to Japan after theend of World War II in Asia.[68]
According to Japan'sMinistry of Foreign Affairs, there are about five millionNikkeijin living in their adopted countries.[2] The largest of these foreign communities are in the Brazilian states ofSão Paulo andParaná.[69] There are also significant cohesive Japanese communities in thePhilippines,[70]East Malaysia,Peru, the U.S. states ofHawaii,California, andWashington, and theCanadian cities ofVancouver andToronto. Separately, the number of Japanese citizens living abroad is over one million according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
^"海外在留邦人数調査統計（平成２８年要約版）" [Annual Report of Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas (Heisei 28 Summary Edition)](PDF) (in Japanese). October 1, 2015. p. 30. RetrievedNovember 10, 2016.
^Kindaichi, Haruhiko (2011-12-20).Japanese Language: Learn the Fascinating History and Evolution of the Language Along With Many Useful Japanese Grammar Points. Tuttle Publishing.ISBN9781462902668
^Satō Makoto."Shinto and Buddhism".Kokugakuin University Encyclopedia of Shinto. Archived fromthe original on April 1, 2018. RetrievedMarch 31, 2018.
^""Aso says Japan is nation of 'one race'"". The Japan Times. October 18, 2005.Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. RetrievedMay 24, 2023. Note: The term whichKyodo News translates as "race" here is 民族 (minzoku), which is often translated as "people", "nation", or "ethnic group".
^John LieMultiethnic Japan (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2001)
^Oguma Eiji,A Genealogy of 'Japanese' Self-images (Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press, 2002)
^"Hōmushō: Kokuseki Kyū-ando-ei"法務省：国籍Ｑ＆Ａ [On nationality, Ministry of Justice Q&A] (in Japanese). Japanese Ministry of Justice.Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. RetrievedMarch 3, 2025. Note: Before the legal age of adulthood in Japan was lowered from 20 to 18 on April 1, 2022, the legal limit age for the choice of nationality was 22.
^"The Choice of Nationality"(PDF). Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.Archived(PDF) from the original on March 18, 2023. RetrievedMay 25, 2023.
^Cole, Fay-Cooper (1912)."Chinese Pottery in the Philippines"(PDF).Field Museum of Natural History. Anthropological Series.12 (1).Archived(PDF) from the original on September 3, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 12, 2021.
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