what percentage of japanese people are mixed with chinese?

Answer 1

This is a tricky one- are we talking the Japanese people as a whole since people first came to Japan, or are we talking modern Japanese intermarriage with Chinese nationals? In fact, the extent to which the two are mixed is more than the Japanese themselves will admit, but with certain provisos- and I doubt you'll ever find an exact figure for this.

The Japanese drummed up this theory of racial uniqueness a while ago, the 'Nihonjinron', or 'studies on the Japanese people' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihonjinron Here are the some of the key elements of Nihonjinron as summarised in that article-

Uniqueness: Japan, its people, culture, ways of thinking, social behaviour, language etc. are unique

Homogeneity: The Japanese are homogeneous as a people/a race/ or ethnic community


There are some problems with Nihonjinron however, and it is perhaps more a sort of nationalist tool rather than verifiable science. The ancient Japanese did come to the Japanese islands from the mainland, they didn't evolve in isolation on Japan. This was way back in hunter-gatherer days though, before China formed so to speak, and the reason that early man could get across was that in ice-ages and in periods of low water there was a causeway from Korea to Japan. Much later on, of course, the trip was also possible by boat.

At the same time, it was before both China and Japan were recognisable as states... There was no political rebellion and mass exodus from China resulting in the Japanese nation so to speak, it was a very gradual process. The Japanese language contains elements of Chinese because when Chinese first came to Japan, the Japanese had a spoken language, but no writing system. They basically broke down bits of Chinese and started using it in Japanese instead...

In the modern age, it suits some Japanese to see themselves as completely homogeneous, but again, this isn't strictly true. Even during the 1600-1850s isolation period, some traders came into Japan from Holland and China legally, with some Chinese landing illicitly along the Western Seaboard to trade- it seems probable there was some intermarriage going even then, and after modernisation, the probability increases. Taiwan was a Japanese colony for about fifty years, Manchuria was for about fifteen, and Japan used Chinese Coolies as labour at home and abroad as well. In the present day Chinese come to Japan to do business... or as cheap factory labour. Intermarriage happens, but it can carry a stigma, and the parents won't always admit to others that they are 'mixed race' in this way. A while ago there were quite a few 'mixed' TV stars though, and that was quite popular, which may show attitudes are changing...

Here's some survey data from the 2005 population census- http://www.stat.go.jp/English/data/kokusei/2005/kihon1/00/06.htm 1.5 million foreigners surveyed as living in Japan, with Chinese representing 23% of those. The extent of intermarriage is not noted however; also, because of stigma etc, some C-J mixed race individuals may have registered as Japanese natives- because of the close similarities between the two, 'passing' isn't difficult, especially for 2nd or 3rd generation.

In conclusion, it can be said that Chinese and Japanese peoples both share an ancient common ancestry and later genetic ties due to intermarriage and interbreeding incidental to trade, travel and colonial ventures. At the same time, the true extent of recent racial mixing can be a touchy issue, and is therefore hard to judge/quantify...

Answer 2

This is very difficult question to answer because you can't define when Japanese became Japanese and Chinese became Chinese.In a very ancient time Japan was a part of Eurasia continent so many people came to this region from north and south.

After isolation as an island there came a big stream of another group of people arond 2500 years ago.It is said they were from the Asia continent.

The last one was a group from a nation which was in Korean peninshla.Japan and that nation was defeated the war toward Tang-China and another country of Korea so many people escaped from there to Japan in 7thc.

In fact,investigations proved current Japanese are genetically mixed so much but you can't simplly say these were mixing of Japanese and Chinese.

There were many races and small countries in Japan and China.Eeach one sometimes fought each other,unified,rose and declined.China is not only current Han,many historical contries had different cultures and in fact Chinese history is the history of chages of ruling races.

China was not one China so nor Japan.You can't be sure what the percentage of mixing is.

Racially current Japanese and Chinese are in the same group of Asian but the cultures are very different,languages may look similar for westerners but grammars are also tottally different.Many Japanese words are similar to Chinese words but they were imported ones so it's like karate,sushi or anything in English.

Answer 3

Well although most don't like talking about it they came from the China continent and migrated towards Japan. They mixed with the Ainu peoples (the indigenous to Japan), and kind of became a new group of people. There is also something about a percentage of Koreans who migrated to Japan as well.

In either case Japanese persons derived from the China continent whether it be China or Korea. I am unsure where the Ainu are originally from.

What I find crazy is how the Japanese view Ainu peoples.

Answer 4

The truth is that the Japanese is much closer to Mongol than to Chinese, both anthropologically and linguistically.
Linguistically speaking, Japanese and Chinese belong to completely different language groups. Japanese and Mongol belong to the same language group. It seems we are genetically closer to people living in and around the Uighur Autonomous Region than to Han people. That's what linguistic evidence tells us.

Answer 5

Few. Many Japanese consider other Asians as different as black and white. A Chinese born in Japanese does'nt even get citizenship.

Answer 6

The implication of "Chinese" is too broad. And not all the people who moved from the continent is from today's China.
Northern part of Japan was connected to mainland Asia before 20,000 BC and it is said nomadic hunters crossed to Japan from East Asia. With DNA research, the similarity with northern part of Chinese and Siberians of Russia are found in Japanese.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Japan_glaciation.gif
Ainu people and Japanese Jomon people (before 14,000 BC) has similarity in the DNS very much and they also have the traits of Caucasians. But what strange thing is that Okinawan peoples are also genetically similar to Ainu people.
Today 1/4 of Japanese people and the people of Chinese continent has similarity in the DNA. But this includes Tibetan and Vietnamese, too. We have to define "Chinese" first.

We also have to think about from the view point of anthropology.
In China, there are some stories that Chinese people went to the east. One of the story is that the Chinese Emperor was looking for a medicine of perpetual youth and longevity, and he sent some people to look for it to the eastern area (is said it is Japan). This story is also depicted in the Jackie Chan's movie named "Myth".
This is the era of first Qin Emperor and is around 220 BC.

In this era, China was very advanced like this picture.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/_files/qin_era.jpg
But Japan was still the era people using earthenwares.
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/_files/japan_yayoi.jpg

I don't think huge numbers of advanced Chinese people moved to backward Japan in this era.

I think it is no doubt the hunters in glacial age (20,000-40,000 BC) came from the north. The key is the research of the relation among nomadic hunters moved from mainland Asia, ainu people and the people in mainland Japan. Lots flint tools, bony tools, and the bone of Naumann elephants around 30,000 BC are also found in Japan at Nojiri lake.
http://www.avis.ne.jp/~nojiriko/Flash/index.html
And also we should remember that even the native Americans in the north America has the similarity with Asian people.

Answer 7

im chinese and this is a fact, u can check it up if u dont believe me. The first group of japanese people was a group of chinese ppl who were rebelling agaisnt the government, so they moved to the islands easts of china, and over time they grew and expanded. This explains why their langauge is so much like mandarin, every japanese person or japanese mix person has some percentage of chinese blood in them, its impossible not to hav any. its like the first filopinos were spanish and over time it mixed with asian, and also americans. All while americans, cacausians all have some percentage of english blood becuase the americans wre english who didnt like the government and moved to the new world(america). -xavia

Answer 8

The vast majority of people in Japan are descendants of people who came to Japan from China, Mongolia, and Korea, via the Korean peninsula.

So, I'd say 99%.

Answer 9

A lot
I know a Japanese porn star is half Chinese

Answer 10

Arguably all, since the Yamato people emigrated from the Asian continent.