Editing Ryukyuans (section)

===Anthropological studies===
Comparative studies on dental diversity showed long-term gene flow from outside sources (Honshu Island and southern East Asia), long-term isolation, and genetic drift, which produced morphological diversity among the modern Ryukyuans. This analysis, however, contradicts the idea of homogeneity among the Jōmon people and close affinities between the Ainu and the Ryukyuans.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Takashi Toma |author2=Tsunehiko Hanihara |author3=Hajime Sunakawa |author4=Kuniaki Haneji |author5=Hajime Ishida |date=2007 |title=Metric dental diversity of Ryukyu Islanders: a comparative study among Ryukyu and other Asian populations |journal=Anthropological Science |volume=115 |issue=2 |pages=119–131 |doi=10.1537/ase.061219 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Timothy2012"/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Kuniaki Haneji |author2=Tsunehiko Hanihara |author3=Hajime Sunakawa |author4=Takashi Toma |author5=Hajime Ishida |date=2007 |title=Non-metric dental variation of Sakishima Islanders, Okinawa, Japan: a comparative study among Sakishima and neighboring populations |journal=Anthropological Science |volume=115 |issue=1 |pages=35–45 |doi=10.1537/ase.060206 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Eri Miyazato|display-authors=etal|date=July 2014 |title=Comparative Analysis of Facial Morphology Between Okinawa Islanders and Mainland Japanese Using Three-Dimensional Images |url=https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7359/7/Comparative_analysis_of_facial_morphology_between_Okinawa_Islanders_and_mainland_Japanese_using_three-dimensional_images..pdf |journal=[[American Journal of Human Biology]] |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=538–548 |access-date=7 February 2017 |doi=10.1002/ajhb.22560|pmid=24838439 |s2cid=12061839}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Tadashi Yamauchi|display-authors=etal|date=2016 |title=A comparative study of craniofacial measurements between Ryukyuan and mainland Japanese females using lateral cephalometric images |journal=Anthropological Science |volume=124 |issue=1 |pages=45–62 |doi=10.1537/ase.151206 |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.12000/46965 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Daisuke Miyamori|display-authors=etal|date=2015 |title=Tracing Jomon and Yayoi ancestries in Japan using ALDH2 and JC virus genotype distributions |journal=Investigative Genetics |volume=6 |issue=14 |page=14 |doi=10.1186/s13323-015-0031-1 |pmid=26719788 |pmc=4696161 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Kae Koganebuchi|display-authors=etal|date=2016 |title=The allele frequency of ALDH2*Glu504Lys and ADH1B*Arg47His for the Ryukyu islanders and their history of expansion among East Asians |journal=[[American Journal of Human Biology]] |doi=10.1002/ajhb.22933 |pmid=27801545 |volume=29 |issue=2 |page=e22933|s2cid=28167073}}</ref> A 2017 craniometric study states that the Ryukyuans were more similar to Yamato people and their ancestors, the [[Yayoi people]]. The Ryukyuans differ strongly from the [[Ainu people]], which, according to the authors, is strong evidence for heterogeneity among the Jōmon period population.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pietrusewsky|first=Michael|date=2017|title=A multivariate analysis of measurements recorded in early and more modern crania from East Asia and Southeast Asia|journal=The Journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research |citeseerx=10.1.1.380.1457}}</ref>

According to a 2019 study, Ryukyuans shared some facial features with Ainu but there were also some differences. Specifically, they retained the phenotypes of Neolithic Shell midden-era populations. Compared to mainland Japanese, Ryukyuans were shorter, had broader faces and lower facial and nasal heights. But they also had broader nasal bones and more prominent glabellas and nasal roots. Their non-metric dental characteristics were intermediate between the Sinodonty of mainland Japanese and Sundadonty of Ainu.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Koganebuchi |first=Kae |last2=Kimura |first2=Ryosuke |date=2019 |title=Biomedical and genetic characteristics of the Ryukyuans: demographic history, diseases and physical and physiological traits |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03014460.2019.1582699 |journal=Annals of Human Biology |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=354-366 |via=Taylor & Francis Online}}</ref>

A 2024 study analyzed two Jōmon-era remains from the Ryukyuan islands; the 'Minatogawa I' and 'Shiraho 4'. 'Minatogawa I' resembled [[Wajak crania|Wadjak]] from Indonesia than to [[Peking Man|Upper Cave]] and [[Liujiang man|Liujiang]] individuals from China and had morphological affinities with [[Australo-Melanesian|Australo-Melanesians]]. 'Shiraho 4', on the other hand, resembled prehistoric Southeast Asians, along with mainland Jōmon and Mintogawa.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Fujita |first=Masaki |last2=Mizuno |first2=Fuzuki |last3=Yamasaki |first3=Shinji |date=2024 |title=Prehistoric Migration of Homo sapiens in the Ryukyu Islands |url=https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/89269 |website=Intechopen}}</ref>