The disciplinary characteristics of physiological anthropology (PA) in Japan were reviewed in order to consider the questions "what is physiological anthropology in Japan?" and "where are we going?" This report is divided into two parts, with the first question addressed herein. The history of anthropology in Japan was helpful in shaping the academic stream of PA, which has occurred in four stages since the 1950s: 1) studies on human movement from the 1950s to late 1960s, 2) studies on adaptability to the physical environment and physical fitness from the late 1960s to late 1980s, 3) mission-oriented studies from the late 1980s to early 2000s, and 4) a new approach to physio-anthropological studies from the early 2000s to the present. The academic characteristics of PA in Japan were examined by comparing the contents of the Journal of Physiological Anthropology with those of the Annals of Human Biology as well as the American history of PA. The research themes common to all physio-anthropologists are adaptability to environments and clarification of the mechanisms behind individual and group differences. Studies in Japan generally concentrate on laboratory findings with physical environment-related factors as stressors, and evaluate individual differences or differences among small groups by intricately measuring physiological parameters in healthy subjects living in a modern society. In contrast, studies in European and American physiological anthropology mainly focus on biocultural models in field studies on the adaptation or maladaptation of people living in developing countries.
