These population pyramids show some major differences between the population of Japan in 1955 and the estimated population in 2015. One of the main differences is the population of elderly people. In 1955, adults who lived to be eighty years old were scarce and few. Next year, adults over eighty will make up almost 5% of Japan's entire population! Also, look at the dramatic difference of the presence of toddlers. Sixty years ago, toddlers made up about 7% of the population; next year, they will account for only 2% of Japanese. These kind of results are not only present in Japan, life expectancy has risen in most countries, as has birth rates decreased.
Population and Settlement
There are many theories of who the first settlers of
Japan were, and exactly when they migrated to the islands of Japan. One theory
goes as far back as 35,000 years ago; archeologists have solid evidence that Japan
was inhabited at this time by Paleolithic people. This theory continues with
the more universally accepted history of the Jomon people who spread and
displaced the Paleolithic people around 10,000 to 14,000 years ago (Facts about
Japan, 2012). The Jomon period, named for the pottery made during this era,
spanned from about 13,000 BC to 300 BC.
Because the pottery found is fragile and delicate it has caused
historians to believe that the Jomon lived at least semi-sedentary lives and, unlike
the nomadic, hunter-gatherer Paleolithic people, excelled in fishing and were
able to settle down in specific locations (“Facts about Japan,” 2012).
The Yayoi period, 300 BC to 400 AD, changed Japan forever. It is believed that the drying out of lands in Northern China forced waves of immigrants to Korea and Japan in search of a more humid climate. Because the Yayoi came from the Asian mainland, it is estimated that Japanese culture originates from China and Korea. Arguably the most important institution of the Yayoi people was the introduction of rice. Rice was first introduced to Japan in 100 BC and, because of the similar climate and latitude to Korea and much of Southern China, thrived in the humid seasons in Japan (see Figure 1). The Yayoi period also brought the introduction of Iron and other industrial ideas from Korea to Japan (“Early Japan,” 2002).
In the fourth century AD a new group gained control of much of central and western Japan. Based in Kyoto (see Figure 2), the Yamato clan was the first to adopt Chinese practices and was ruled by a hereditary leader who appointed powerful clan leaders as court members (“History of Japan”). The Yamato period brought many advances in art, society, and politics and also the Taika Reforms. Under the authority of Emperor Kotoku, the Taika Reforms were written and designed to centralize and increase the power of the Imperial Court. One of the most influential effects of the “big change” was the Chinese influence learned by Japanese envoys who went to the Asian mainland to study the Chinese character-based writing system, Buddhism, Chinese literature, architecture, agriculture, and farming (“Facts about Japan,” 2012).
The Yamato period ended in 710 AD when the Empress Gemmei established her official residence in Heijyo-kyo, present day Nara city (see Figure 2). During the Nara period, the capitol city changed with each new reign because it was thought that the death of an emperor or empress left the city polluted (“Facts about Japan,” 2012). The fights for power continued and eventually lead to the dissolve of the Emperor and rise of local lords and power devolved to local warriors, known as Samurai. By the twelfth century the Emperors still reigned but the power remained with the Minimato clan who called themselves the Shogun (“Facts about Japan,” 2012).
In 1603, a new clan overpowered the Minimato’s and created a new Shogun, the Tokugawa Shogun. The Tokugawa Shoguns allowed the emperors to rule as civil monarchs and essentially brought peace to Japan allowing civil and economic development. They only allowed trade with the Dutch and Chinese, forbade guns, and limited foreign interaction. Trapped in a feudal time warp, Japan fell behind in modernization until 1868 when the young Meiji emperor established himself as supreme power and abolished the Samurai and Shogun to catch up with the Great Powers (“History of Japan”). “In the First World War they allied with Britain and enjoyed an economic boom resulting from their supplying of munitions to the allied forces (“History of Japan”).” With their new power because of weapons, Japan looked as though it had a bright future; until defeated in World War II when Americans used a new weapon on the city of Hiroshima, the atomic bomb (see Figure 2).
The Yayoi period, 300 BC to 400 AD, changed Japan forever. It is believed that the drying out of lands in Northern China forced waves of immigrants to Korea and Japan in search of a more humid climate. Because the Yayoi came from the Asian mainland, it is estimated that Japanese culture originates from China and Korea. Arguably the most important institution of the Yayoi people was the introduction of rice. Rice was first introduced to Japan in 100 BC and, because of the similar climate and latitude to Korea and much of Southern China, thrived in the humid seasons in Japan (see Figure 1). The Yayoi period also brought the introduction of Iron and other industrial ideas from Korea to Japan (“Early Japan,” 2002).
In the fourth century AD a new group gained control of much of central and western Japan. Based in Kyoto (see Figure 2), the Yamato clan was the first to adopt Chinese practices and was ruled by a hereditary leader who appointed powerful clan leaders as court members (“History of Japan”). The Yamato period brought many advances in art, society, and politics and also the Taika Reforms. Under the authority of Emperor Kotoku, the Taika Reforms were written and designed to centralize and increase the power of the Imperial Court. One of the most influential effects of the “big change” was the Chinese influence learned by Japanese envoys who went to the Asian mainland to study the Chinese character-based writing system, Buddhism, Chinese literature, architecture, agriculture, and farming (“Facts about Japan,” 2012).
The Yamato period ended in 710 AD when the Empress Gemmei established her official residence in Heijyo-kyo, present day Nara city (see Figure 2). During the Nara period, the capitol city changed with each new reign because it was thought that the death of an emperor or empress left the city polluted (“Facts about Japan,” 2012). The fights for power continued and eventually lead to the dissolve of the Emperor and rise of local lords and power devolved to local warriors, known as Samurai. By the twelfth century the Emperors still reigned but the power remained with the Minimato clan who called themselves the Shogun (“Facts about Japan,” 2012).
In 1603, a new clan overpowered the Minimato’s and created a new Shogun, the Tokugawa Shogun. The Tokugawa Shoguns allowed the emperors to rule as civil monarchs and essentially brought peace to Japan allowing civil and economic development. They only allowed trade with the Dutch and Chinese, forbade guns, and limited foreign interaction. Trapped in a feudal time warp, Japan fell behind in modernization until 1868 when the young Meiji emperor established himself as supreme power and abolished the Samurai and Shogun to catch up with the Great Powers (“History of Japan”). “In the First World War they allied with Britain and enjoyed an economic boom resulting from their supplying of munitions to the allied forces (“History of Japan”).” With their new power because of weapons, Japan looked as though it had a bright future; until defeated in World War II when Americans used a new weapon on the city of Hiroshima, the atomic bomb (see Figure 2).
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To learn more about the in-depth religious values of early Japan, please visit: <http://www.lakelandschools.us/lh/modonnell/virtualjapan/earlyjapan.htm>
If you are interested in learning more about all of the smaller periods in early Japanese history please visit this website: http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-ancient-history/japan.html