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Haplogroup O1b2

O1b2 (Japanese–Korean East Asian lineage)

Macro-haplogroup

Parent clade

O1b-F3651

Formed (estimate)

c. 20,000–25,000 years before present

TMRCA (estimate)

c. 10,000–12,000 years ago

O1b2
L681
F742 (depending on subbranch)

Overview

O1b2 is a major branch of O1b originating during the Late Pleistocene and forms a central paternal component of Korean and Japanese populations. Earlier literature mislabeled this clade as “O2b”, but updated phylogenies recognize it as O1b2 under the O1b-F3651 umbrella. O1b2 has deep roots in northeast Asian forager and proto-agricultural populations and played an important role in the formation of ancient cultures on the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago.

Geographic distribution

Very common in Japan (particularly among Yamato and Ryukyu populations) and high in Korea. Lower frequencies exist in Manchuria, Primorye, Mongolia and northern China. Small traces occur in some Tungusic and Ainu-related groups.

Ancient DNA

Ancient samples from the Jōmon–Yayoi transition show paternal signals upstream of O1b2.
Bronze Age sites in Korea reveal lineages compatible with O1b2-level ancestry.
Distribution patterns suggest population continuity from prehistoric northeast Asian groups into historic Korean and Japanese populations.

Phylogeny & subclades

O1b2 is parallel to the O1b1 branch (which includes M95). The internal structure includes several region-specific subbranches, some of which are concentrated in Japan and Korea.

O1b2a
O1b2b
O1b2*

Notes & context