Current Issues in Japanese Archaeology (2019 Archaeological Research in Asia Symposium)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Current Issues in Japanese Archaeology (2019 Archaeological Research in Asia Symposium)," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

For the past several decades, rapidly increasing amounts of excavation data and new interpretations have characterized Japanese archaeology. Numerous rescue excavations throughout the Japanese archipelago during and after the 1970s have produced a large body of archaeological data, based on which scholars can test new hypotheses and assert the importance of studying the past. Interest in archaeology among the general public is strong. The flip side of the popularity of Japanese archaeology is a large-scale destruction of many important archaeological sites. It is also clear that there will be fewer rescue excavations in the future. With these sociopolitical contexts in mind, the 2019 Archaeological Research in Asia Sponsored Symposium highlights new developments and challenges in Japanese archaeology and evaluates its contribution to the international scene. Papers presented in this session present new data and interpretations and address the questions of the relevance of archaeological studies in contemporary Japanese society. The session also proposes how archaeologists working on Japan might engage themselves with current sociopolitical and environmental concerns through their research. Case studies include those dealing with the Paleolithic, Jomon, Yayoi, Kofun and later historic periods. Geographic coverage includes from Hokkaido to the Ryukyu Islands.