Population and Settlement
If you look at Japan today you will see that Japan is an island nation surrounded by a body of water. Japan has no land connecting it to the mainland that is Asia. That raises a question of how did that land get inhabited if the land was disconnected from the mainland. The earliest settlement in Japan was during 30,000 B.C. when Japan’s territory was still connected to Korea and Siberia (Japan. Ancient Worlds). The early settlers who migrated to early Japan were probably from East Asian Siberian mainland. At this time the early settlers used hunting and gathering to obtain food ("Part 1: Introduction." Japanese History).
By 10,000 B.C. the Jomon people settled in Japan (Early Japan. SHSU). They took advantage of the resources left by the post Ice Age in Japan which was game, fish, and wild plants ("Part 1: Introduction." Japanese History). During the late period of the Jomon people, they had developed rice-paddy farming (Early Japan. SHSU). The Jomon people seem to be settled around the Kanto plain area on Honshu island ("Part 1: Introduction." Japanese History). The era of the Jomon people ended at around 300 B.C. (Early Japan. SHSU).
At 300 B.C the Yayoi people migrated from southern Kyushu to northern Honshu and they flourished up until 250 A.D. (Early Japan. SHSU). They used wet rice agriculture and raised livestock as a food source ("Part 1: Introduction." Japanese History). The Yayoi people were more technologically advanced so they were able to build weapons, agriculture tools, and were able to live in permanent farming villages (Early Japan. SHSU).
The first settlers to migrate to Japan were hunter gathers back in 30,000 B.C. Because they were hunter gathers they were nomadic so they migrated to Japan to look for food but stayed settled in Japan into agricultural communities ("The history of Japan." History of Japan). The area where early periods of time have flourished where on Honshu since both the Jomon and Yayoi people settled there.
The theory from Guns, Germs, and Steel is that for there to be human settlement there needs to be similar climate from Fertile Crescent for there to be domesticated plants and animals. Similar climate to Fertile Crescent can be found on its east and west axis. Japan’s early migration and settlement does support the theory since the most settlement in Japan happens on Honshu which is located on the east axis of Fertile Crescent. Also around Honshu is where the wet rice agriculture developed with the settlers in Japan which further supports the theory since that was when they domesticated rice.
By 10,000 B.C. the Jomon people settled in Japan (Early Japan. SHSU). They took advantage of the resources left by the post Ice Age in Japan which was game, fish, and wild plants ("Part 1: Introduction." Japanese History). During the late period of the Jomon people, they had developed rice-paddy farming (Early Japan. SHSU). The Jomon people seem to be settled around the Kanto plain area on Honshu island ("Part 1: Introduction." Japanese History). The era of the Jomon people ended at around 300 B.C. (Early Japan. SHSU).
At 300 B.C the Yayoi people migrated from southern Kyushu to northern Honshu and they flourished up until 250 A.D. (Early Japan. SHSU). They used wet rice agriculture and raised livestock as a food source ("Part 1: Introduction." Japanese History). The Yayoi people were more technologically advanced so they were able to build weapons, agriculture tools, and were able to live in permanent farming villages (Early Japan. SHSU).
The first settlers to migrate to Japan were hunter gathers back in 30,000 B.C. Because they were hunter gathers they were nomadic so they migrated to Japan to look for food but stayed settled in Japan into agricultural communities ("The history of Japan." History of Japan). The area where early periods of time have flourished where on Honshu since both the Jomon and Yayoi people settled there.
The theory from Guns, Germs, and Steel is that for there to be human settlement there needs to be similar climate from Fertile Crescent for there to be domesticated plants and animals. Similar climate to Fertile Crescent can be found on its east and west axis. Japan’s early migration and settlement does support the theory since the most settlement in Japan happens on Honshu which is located on the east axis of Fertile Crescent. Also around Honshu is where the wet rice agriculture developed with the settlers in Japan which further supports the theory since that was when they domesticated rice.
Maps
This map shows the climate of Japan. As you can see the area where the early settlements occurred are the areas where there was the most rainy in climate. In those areas it would be easy to grow and domesticate plants.
source: http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/wetland/images/p3.jpg
source: http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/wetland/images/p3.jpg
This map is also shows climate but it shows the climate of the world. As you can see Japan has similar climate to the area where Fertile Crescent is.
More Info
http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/en/study/eng01.html
This website has in depth information on the Ainu people who were one of the groups who settled in Japan.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687770/
This website has more information on the early migration of Eastern Asia and this includes Japan
This website has in depth information on the Ainu people who were one of the groups who settled in Japan.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687770/
This website has more information on the early migration of Eastern Asia and this includes Japan
Population pyramids
This population pyramid is showing that at 1950 Japan had a higher number of infants and children at that time so this must mean that the fertility rate was higher in the past. As we get to 2010 we see that now most of the population is at 60-64 age indicating the infants in 1950 have grown up but some of them died off since the population of the 60-64 year old are lower then the starting age at 1950.