There is a theory that suggests that some of the last tribes of Israel reached Japan and influenced the course of history there. How would you assess the idea from the viewpoint of plausibility on the basis of historical data?
There is a theory called the **Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory** (日ユ同祖論, Nichiyu Dōsoron) which claims that the Japanese people were the main part of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel[^lost_tribes]. This theory appeared in the 17th century as a hypothesis and is considered a fringe theory[^myth]. Some versions of the theory applied to the whole population, but others only claimed that a specific group within the Japanese people had descended from Jews[^myth].

However, researcher and author Jon Entine emphasizes that DNA evidence excludes the possibility of significant links between Japanese and Jews[^ancestry]. Would you like more information on this topic?

[^lost_tribes]: Lost Tribes of Israel | Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? (3) - PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/israel/losttribes3.html.
[^myth]: Myth or Reality: The Japanese Descend From The Lost Tribes of Israel .... https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/myth-or-reality-japanese-descend-from-the-lost-tribes-of-Israel.
[^ancestry]: Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese-Jewish_common_ancestry_theory.
Thank you, that was very helpful! It does seem that it's been squarely debunked. Are there other theories of Japanese people descending from other cultures?