Hiroshima find may unearth new history of human arrival in Japan
Researcher Sadakatsu Kunitake (front right) speaks with visitors at the Kanmuri ruins excavation site in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, in September. | JIJI
Jiji
Nov 12, 2026
Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Pref. – Excavation is underway at an archaeological site in Hiroshima Prefecture, with both researchers and local residents anxious to unravel the mystery of when and how humans arrived in the Japanese archipelago.
The Kanmuri ruins in the Yoshiwa district of Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, generated excitement in 2024 when a stone tool that is likely to be the oldest such artifact in Japan was discovered at the site.
Sadakatsu Kunitake, 51, chief researcher at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, which is spearheading the excavation, said that the Kanmuri ruins are “the finest archaeological site in Japan that connects (the country) to the world.”
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