Description
Haplogroup B5 is a subclade of mtDNA haplogroup B found predominantly in East Asia, particularly in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. It is less common than B4 and shows a more restricted distribution. B5a and B5b are the main sub-branches, with B5a being more common in Japan and Korea, while B5b occurs more frequently in China and Vietnam. B5 represents a distinct evolutionary lineage within the B radiation that remained largely confined to mainland and island East Asia rather than expanding into the Pacific or Americas like B4.
Interesting Fact
B5a has been found in ancient Japanese Jomon individuals (pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers), placing it among the oldest identifiable genetic lineages in the Japanese archipelago — predating the Yayoi farming migration from mainland China by several thousand years.
Distribution by Ethnicity
| Ethnic distribution | Region | Frequency | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | East Asia | n=1000 | |
| Vietnamese | Southeast Asia | n=500 | |
| Chinese (Han) | East Asia | n=2000 | |
| Koreans | East Asia | n=600 |
Tags
References
- Tanaka et al. (2004) — Mitochondrial genome variation in eastern Asia and the peopling of Japan. Genome Research 14(10A), 1832–1850.