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Y chromosome analysis for common surnames in the Japanese male population

Journal of Human Genetics volume 66, pages 731–738 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

For many years of Japan’s long history, Japanese surnames have been handed down patrilineally. This study investigated relations between major surnames and Y chromosomal polymorphism among the Japanese male population. To analyze genetic phylogeny in namesakes, the Y-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) plus Y-short tandem repeat (STR) approach was employed. A haplogroup based on SNPs and haplotypes at 17 STR loci were typed in 567 unrelated volunteers recruited in Kanagawa, Japan. Samples covered 27 common surnames such as Satoh and Suzuki, each name having 10–55 bearers. Significant difference was found for SNP haplogroup compositions and a multidimensional scaling plot using STR haplotypes in several surname groups. By contrast, these common surnames displayed wide diversity with phylogenetic networks, suggesting that no genetic drift event has occurred in their history. In all, 22 descent clusters were found, as judgcriteria ed by ad hoc of groups within five mutational steps in the 15 STR loci with the same haplogroup. The times of the most recent common ancestor ranged from 279 to over 2577 years. According to the approximate millennium span of Japanese surname history, descent criteria are expected to be reasonable for grouping within four step-neighbors. High heterogeneity of common surnames resembles that observed for England and Spain, but not for Ireland. Our results highlight that common Japanese surnames consist of descent clusters and many singletons, reflecting a mixture of long-term bearers and short-term bearers among the population. The genetic study of this population revealed characteristic features of Japanese surnames.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all sample donors. We also thank Akinori Takase and Dr Masayuki Tanaka, Support Center for Medical Research and Education, Tokai University School of Medicine, for their supporting bioinformatic analyses. This study was supported by the Tokai University General Research Organization Grant, and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (grant number 19K19489 to EO).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan

    Eriko Ochiai, Motoki Osawa, Shiori Satoh, Tomonori Tamura, Yu Kaneko, Yu Kakimoto & Kiyoshi Minaguchi

  2. Scientific Crime Laboratory, Kanagawa Prefectural Police, Yokohama, Japan

    Tomonori Tamura

  3. Division of Legal Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago, Japan

    Masato Nakatome

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  1. Eriko Ochiai
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Correspondence to Motoki Osawa.

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Ochiai, E., Osawa, M., Satoh, S. et al. Y chromosome analysis for common surnames in the Japanese male population. J Hum Genet 66, 731–738 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s10038-020-00884-9

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