The research team of the National Museum of Japanese History recently published a new chronology of the Yayoi period, based mainly on the calibrated AMS radiocarbon dating. Compared to the traditional chronology, the date of the Yayoi period becomes much older in this new chronology; the beginning of the Earliest Yayoi period becomes 500 years older, while the beginning of the Middle Yayoi period becomes 200 years older. Two methods not using the radiocarbon dating have traditionally been used to estimate the date of the Yayoi period. The first method is cross dating with the Central Plain of China, where written records exist. This method is, however, not accurate enough in this case, because of the long distance and old age. In addition, we can only know the upper limit age, because of the one-way flow from China to Japan. The second method is to date back from a time period whose date is determined; the weak point of this method is that it needs to use some uncertain assumptions. The traditional chronology was based mainly on the second method, resulting in a much older age than the age estimated by the first method. The new radiocarbon date of the Yayoi period is, however, closer to the upper limit estimated by the first method. While many archaeologists majoring in Yayoi studies still support the traditional chronology, most of the archaeologists majoring in Asian studies are now changing their chronology. The radiocarbon dates obtained today are not yet determined, however, because they seem to be too slightly old, even after the reexamination of the archaeological evidence. The most important thing is that this debate about radiocarbon dating gave us a chance to reexamine the traditional chronology.

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The hypothesis that the third molar (M3) agenesis influences crown sizes and molar crown characters of the other teeth was investigated among the male groups in Japanese. One hundred and sixty nine individuals were divided into four groups: all the four third molars exist; agenesis of one third molar; agenesis of two third molars of both sides; agenesis of four third molars. Statistical analysis was applied on the upper or lower jaw independently.
Except for the upper lateral incisor, mesiodistal crown diameters of the remaining teeth were, in general, larger in the groups with the M3s agenesis than in that with the four M3s existence. Significant differences were found in the first and second molars of both jaws between the groups with four M3s agenesis and with four M3s existence. These results were explained by the mesiodistal compensatory interaction within the molar tooth row. Generally speaking, there was a tendency for the teeth of the M3s agenesis groups to be greater variability in size than those of four M3s existent group, and in M3 agenesis groups upper teeth tended to be more variable than lower teeth. However, there were no distinct differences in variability in each tooth group and in tooth number of congenitally missing in M3.
As for the molar crown characters there were no significant differences between agenesis groups and existent group in cusp number and groove pattern of the first molars of both jaws. In the second molars, the groups with four M3s agenesis had significantly higher values than the groups with four M3s existence and with one and two M3s agenesis only in incidence of the groove pattern like "X".

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Fishing activities in the eastern Kanto inner bay area during the Jomon Period have traditionally been thought to have been focused on large-sized fish such as Japanese sea perch (Lateolabrax sp.) and porgies (Acanthopargrus sp. and Pagrus major). However, water screening of 104 column samples from nine shellmidden sites dating to the Middle and Late Jomon Periods within this area produced high frequencies of remains from small fish species, including herring-like fishes, horse mackerels, Japanese eel, and crucian carp, suggesting these small fish species actually constitute the largest part of fish assemblages in the study area. This is important because smaller fish species have been neglected in previous studies in the area. Additionally, localized variability is detectable in these assemblages with coastal sites exhibiting higher frequencies of small coastal fish, inland sites exhibiting higher frequencies of fresh water fish, and sites lying between these two zones exhibiting higher frequencies of brackish water fish species. This suggests that fishing strategies at these sites were adapted to exploitation of small fish species that naturally occurred within the hypothetical exploitation territory. However, since high-ranked fish such as porgies were recovered from inland sites which do not have ocean within their hypothetical exploitation territories, it is possible that sea resources were frequently traded between groups. Therefore, this study is significant in that it moves beyond issues of fishing activities to examine broader issues of economic and social interaction.

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The discriminant functions based on permanent tooth crown measurements of adult skeletons sexed clearly from the morphology of their hip bones or the record of their sexes were calculated to sex subadult skeletons of each of the Yayoi and the Muromachi groups from the northern Kyushu-Yamaguchi region, and the Recent-Modern groups from the Kyushu and the Kinki region. The probability of these discriminant functions rose from about 70% to 100% as the number of available teeth increased with the ageing of the sexed subadult. The effectiveness of these discriminant functions was examined by using the Recent-Modern subadults whose sexes were recorded. The results of sexing subadults mostly came up to the probability of the discriminant function based on the crown measurements of the corresponding adults. The subadults were also sexed by using each of the most probable discriminant function. As a result, the ratio of correct sexing was 90.9% (n = 11) for the Kyushu region group, 84.6% (n = 26) for the Kinki region group, and 97.3% (n = 37) if the both groups combined together (the western Japan). One of the outcomes of the sexing was that the number of subadult male skeletons excavated from the Kuma-Nishioda Yayoi period site was disproportionately larger than that of the subadult female (male 10, female 3: p = 0.052).

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The search for the fossils of Peking man, which were lost in China in December1941, still continues. Some 63 years later, however, that search has reached a dead end. In this paper I discuss the 18-month investigation into the disappearance of the fossils conducted by the Japanese military police from December 1941. In particular, I analyze the report submitted to the headquarters of the Japanese military police in Shanghai in May 1943. I further introduce and analyze documents showing the connection of Kotondo Hasebe and other Japanese scholars to the Peking Man fossils.
The examination of documentary materials from Japan, China and the United States shows that while the activities of the Japanese army and of Japanese researchers formed an important background to the disappearance of the fossils, there is no evidence of any direct connection.
At the same time, various aspects of the conduct of Franz Weidenrich (who returned to the US before the loss of the fossils), Weidenrich's secretary, Hirschburg, and his assistant, Hu Chengzhi, remain unclear.
The loss of the Peking Man fossils was an extremely regrettable incident that occurred during the Japanese war in China and at the time of the outbreak of hostilities between Japan and the United States. Scholars should not forget the role of Japan's cultural imperialism in the loss of the fossils.

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