b. Economy, Technology, Society, and Culture

II. Ancient and Classical Periods, 3500 B.C.E.–500 C.E.> C. Early Civilizations and Classical Empires of South and East Asia> 7. Japan, to 527 C.E.> b. Ethnology

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  The Encyclopedia of World History.  2001.

b. Ethnology
The origin of the Japanese people is still debated. Archaeology and physical anthropology indicate a close connection with the Koreans and Tungusic peoples of northeastern Asia. Linguistic evidence, also hotly debated, tends to support this. There may have been a land bridge connecting Japan with Korea in high antiquity, which would help explain the connections. The Japanese are a mixed Mongoloid race, similar to Chinese and Koreans, perhaps with some Southeast Asian contributions as well; the Ainu (a Caucasoidlike people) originally inhabited the northeastern half of Japan and possibly contributed to the racial mix of Japanese today.	1

The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth edition. Peter N. Stearns, general editor. Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Maps by Mary Reilly, copyright 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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