Japanese People and Population
– Japanese people are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago.
– They constitute 97.6% of the population of Japan.
– Approximately 126 million people worldwide are of Japanese descent.
– There are approximately 122 million Japanese people residing in Japan.
– The Japanese diaspora, known as Nikkeijin, consists of approximately 4 million members.
History and Origins
– Archaeological evidence suggests that Stone Age people lived in Japan during the Paleolithic period.
– The origin of Japanese people has been theorized to be from the Jōmon period and Yayoi period.
– The Jōmon people were hunter-gatherers with diverse ethnic roots traced back to Southeast Asia, Tibet, Taiwan, and Siberia.
– The Yayoi people, originating from Northeast Asia, brought wet-rice farming and advanced technology to Japan.
– Present-day Japanese people are believed to have formed from both the Yayoi and Jōmon period ethnicities.
Language and Dialects
– The Japanese language is a Japonic language related to the Ryukyuan languages.
– It has a tripartite writing system using hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
– Japanese phonology is characterized by a small number of vowel phonemes and frequent gemination.
– The language includes native Japanese words and many derived from Chinese.
– Dozens of Japanese dialects are spoken in different regions of Japan.
Religion and Belief Systems
– Japanese religion is traditionally syncretic, combining elements of Buddhism and Shinto.
– Shinto is a polytheistic religion.
– Buddhism has had a significant influence on Japanese religious practices.
– Shinbutsu-shūgō refers to the syncretic blending of Shinto and Buddhism.
– Other religions, such as Christianity and Islam, also have followers in Japan.
Japanese Diaspora and Ethnic Issues
– The term ‘Nikkeijin’ refers to Japanese people who emigrated from Japan and their descendants.
– Emigration from Japan became significant during the Meiji era.
– There are about 4.0 million Nikkeijin living in their adopted countries.
– Ethnic issues in Japan are a topic of concern and discussion, including discrimination against the Burakumin, Ainu, Zainichi Koreans, and Ryukyuans.
– Foreign-born Japanese refer to individuals who were born outside of Japan but hold Japanese citizenship. Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_people
