Note based on 漫画版 日本の歴史〈1〉旧石器時代・縄文時代・弥生時代・古墳時代1 (Illustrated Japanese History (1) Paleolithic, Jômon, Yayoi and Kofun periods 1), Tokyo, 2007, pages 21-24. Translation from Japanese is my own: all approximations are therefore mine. (Note:....) indicates an additional information/clarification not found in the main source that I felt could be useful

For a long time, it was believed that the history of the Japanese people started about 10,000 years ago, that is with the Jomon period. But the discovery made at the site of Iwajuku (Gunma Prefecture, central Japan) in 1949 changed everything. It sparked a real interest in this older period in Japanese history and paleolithic sites were discovered one after the other throughout Japan. Soon, the quest became that for evidence of a human presence on the archipelago during the Middle Paleolithic, that is before 50,000 BC circa: since the excavation of Zazaragi in 1981, it was believed for a while that such evidence was at hand and the date for the earliest human presence in Japan kept being pushed further back with each excavation, until evidence suggested human presence dating as far back as 700,000 years ago. However, in November 2000 emerged what is called the Japanese Paleolithic Hoax affair (note: in a nutshell, these "Middle Paleolithic" artefacts had in fact been planted by the man who had claimed to discover them; it later emerged that he had also planted Jomon evidence) and, as a result, all artefacts supposedly earlier than 40,000 - 50,000 were declared of doubtful origin and the quest for a Middle Paleolithic is now back to its starting point

As things stand now, Japan's human history begins with the Upper Paleolithic, between 35,000 and 13,000 years ago; disctinct fossils of human bones of that period are lacking, but we can still have a good guess at what their life must have been based on lithic (stone tools) artefacts or other evidence such as traces of open air fires. Around 30,000 years ago, blade technology (lithic reduction) spread and was used to make all sorts of hunting and other tools (lithic evidence found at Iwajuku site included stone axes, scrapers of various sizes, points and knife-shaped tools). Paleolithic men used the resulting stone implements to hunt deers and rabbits as well as collect hazelnuts and walnuts. Families and close relatives were organized in small groups, living a nomad life, following game animals along the riversides