Japanese Imperial tombs

The headline reads, "Japan's royal tombs opened for inspection", but "not as totally and absolutely closed off as hitherto" would be more accurate:

Japan's royal tombs are to be opened to more thorough investigation by researchers for the first time. The move should re-invigorate studies into the country's ancient history, which have so far depended mostly on legends and myths.

But the change in the rules still won't allow any excavation, nor the inspection of any bodies. It won't, therefore, solve the big mysteries — such as which emperor lies in which tomb, or whether the imperial family has remained purely Japanese or, as some have claimed, been influenced by Korean and Chinese bloodlines.

Posted by David on January 13, 2007 4:23 PM