Hiroshima excavation investigates human arrival in Japan
A stone tool discovered at the Kanmuri ruins in 2024 is likely to be Japan's oldest such artifact.
Researchers are excavating the Kanmuri ruins in Hiroshima Prefecture to investigate when people first reached Japan's islands and how they arrived. The site drew attention after the discovery in 2024 of a stone tool thought likely to be the country's oldest.
The Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties is leading the excavation in Hatsukaichi's Yoshiwa district. Local residents, as well as researchers, are eager to learn what the site may reveal about human arrival.
Sadakatsu Kunitake, 51, the institute's chief researcher, described Kanmuri as Japan's foremost archaeological site for connecting the country with the wider world.
