[Restorer]

Actually, the people now regarded as "Japanese" have only been in these Islands for about 1,600 years.

From what I (vaguely) recall, the "Japanese" entered the islands from the south, starting sometime not long before Christ, and have been spreading north and east ever since.

[dsc]

"From what I (vaguely) recall, the "Japanese" entered the islands from the south, starting sometime not long before Christ, and have been spreading north and east ever since."

The Japanese, like the Chinese, like to push the genesis of their country back as far as possible. However, the available evidence just won't support anything earlier than the 6th or 7th centuries.

The dirty little secret is that it appears that the originators of the so-called "Yamato Race" were Korean pirates.

That, by the way, is an extremely unpopular notion among the Japanese, so be careful where (or if) you bring it up.