Japan Genetic Groups Update - 23andMe

As part of continuing improvements to 23andMe’s Ancestry Service, we recently added 12 Genetic Groups for customers with roots in Japan.

Japan Update

This update includes new genetic groups in Japan.

Japan is an archipelago composed of more than 6,852 islands. Multiple waves of migration from the Asian mainland, starting as early as 35,000 years ago, first populated the islands.

Modern Japanese people can trace most of their ancestry to the Stone Age Jomon and late Stone Age Yayoi cultures. The Yahoo people introduced ironworks and agriculture. Yayoi DNA is concentrated in the center of Japan, while Jomon ancestry persists to the north and south among the culturally distinctive Ainu and Ryukyuan peoples.

The various tribes and kingdoms of Japan were nominally unified under the Emperor of Japan around the fifth century, a dynastic line that continues in modern times. One of the most culturally important periods for classical Japanese art, poetry, and literature is the Heian period, which lasted from 794 to 1185. Heian means peace in Japanese.

Here are the 12 genetic populations we’ve added for this update:

Ryukyr Arc: For those with ancestral connections to people from the Ryuku Arc, an arc-shaped archipelago extends south of Kyushu along the Ryyku Islands.

Yamaguchi and Western Hiroshima: For those with ancestral connections to people from Yamaguchi and Western Hiroshima, a region known for its rural beauty and rich history.

Northern Honshu and Hokkaido: For those with ancestral connections to people from northern Japan, including the Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, and Chubu regions.

Kii Peninsula: For those with ancestral connections to people from Northern Kyushu, a region known for its dramatic scenery in places like Mount Ash, the largest active volcano in Japan.

Southern Kyushu: For those with ancestral connections to people from Southern Kyushu, known for its scenery ranging from the wild horses on Cape Toi to sweeping views of active volcano Sakurajima in the Kagoshima Bay.

Yanbaru: For those with ancestral connections to people from Yanbaru, the northern part of Okinawa, including Nano and the Kunigami district.

Miyako-jima: For those with ancestral connections to people from the island of Miyako-jima, a picturesque Island southwest of Okinawa and north of Nanzan.

Nagasaku Bay and Yokatsu Islands: For those with ancestral connections to people from the Nagasaku Bay and Yokatsu Islands of Okinawa, home of a significant part of the Chuzan kingdom in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Okinawan West Coast: For those with ancestral connections to people from the west coast of Okinawa, stretching from Naha in the south to Nakijin in the north.