A team of researchers has made an important step in understanding the origins of modern Japanese people. Scientists were able to extract DNA from a Yayoi-era skeleton found at the famous archaeological site of Doigahama in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, and conduct a complete analysis of its genome. This study has revealed that the current Japanese population formed from the mixing of immigrants from the Korean Peninsula and the native Jomon people of Japan, about 2,300 years ago.

The study was led by a research group from the University of Tokyo and Toho University and was published in the journal Journal of Human Genetics. The research has allowed for resolving part of the enigma regarding the origins of the Japanese and providing new perspectives on the process of forming this society.

The analyzed skeleton belongs to an individual from the Yayoi culture, a population that inhabited Japan between 900 B.C. and 300 A.D. These peoples were known for their advanced agricultural and metallurgical technology, marking the beginning of a new era in Japanese history.

Japanese origin revealed
Human remains from the Yayoi period, approximately 2,300 years ago, from which DNA was extracted. Credit: J. Kim et al. / University of Tokyo

The Doigahama site in Yamaguchi Prefecture is famous for having provided around 300 Yayoi-era skeletons, allowing archaeologists and biological researchers to study this civilization and its relationship with the ancient inhabitants of Japan in depth.

Through a meticulous process, scientists extracted DNA from the skeleton and analyzed its complete genetic sequence, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern populations from Japan, Korea, and other parts of East and Northeast Asia.

The most relevant discovery is that the DNA from the Yayoi of Doigahama contains genetic components from two main groups: the Jomon, native to Japan since the Paleolithic, and the immigrants from the Korean Peninsula, known as toraijin. According to the analyses, these immigrants began arriving in Japan during the Yayoi period and mixed with the Jomon population, forming the ancestral group that gave rise to modern Japanese people.

Japanese origin revealed
Roots of the migratory people During the Yayoi period, a group of visitors from the Korean Peninsula interbred with the Jomon people to create an ancestral group that eventually led to the modern Japanese. Since these visitors had both East Asian and Northeast Asian genomic components, modern Japanese have three genomic components: Jomon, East Asian, and Northeast Asian. Credit: J. Kim et al. / University of Tokyo

The dual-structure model, proposed decades ago by anthropologist Kazuro Hanihara, posits that the Japanese formed from the mixing of the Jomon and Yayoi immigrants, and this genetic study provides a solid basis to support that hypothesis. According to Hanihara, the immigrants brought new technologies and contributed to a significant cultural and genetic shift in Japan, which has been confirmed by recent DNA analyses.

The finding not only supports the dual-structure model but also refutes other theories, such as the triple-structure model, which suggested that Yayoi immigrants came from different groups at different times. The results of the study show that most of the immigrants arrived at the same time and shared common origins in Northeast and East Asia.

The discovery provides a greater understanding of the migratory process and genetic mixing in East Asia during prehistory. Through DNA analysis, researchers have demonstrated that the toraijin, upon arriving in Japan from the Korean Peninsula, not only introduced new technologies and cultural practices but also significantly contributed to the genetic heritage of the modern Japanese population.


SOURCES

University of Tokyo

Kim, J., Mizuno, F., Matsushita, T. et al. Genetic analysis of a Yayoi individual from the Doigahama site provides insights into the origins of immigrants to the Japanese Archipelago. J Hum Genet (2024). doi.org/10.1038/s10038-024-01295-w


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