A relict lineage of East Asia and the archipelagos
Haplogroup D, defined by M174, is a distinctive East Asian lineage with a notably fragmented, relict-like distribution. It is found at high frequency among certain populations — including the Ainu of Japan, Tibetans, and the Andaman Islanders — but is rare or absent across much of the territory that separates them.
Haplogroup D's distribution is one of the most striking in Y-chromosome geography. It is common in Japan, particularly associated with the Ainu and present across the wider Japanese population; it is frequent among Tibetans and some neighbouring Himalayan groups; and it appears among the Andaman Islanders. These pockets are widely separated, giving D the character of a relict lineage — one that was likely once more widespread and has survived in isolated populations.
Haplogroup D is an old East Asian lineage, deeply related to haplogroup E at a level far back in the tree despite their very different modern distributions. Its age is estimated in the tens of thousands of years. The disconnected modern range is generally interpreted as the remnant of an older, broader distribution that was later fragmented by the expansion of other lineages.
D divides into branches with sharp regional associations — one strongly represented in Japan, others among Tibetan and Himalayan populations, and a distinct deep branch among the Andamanese. The Japanese and Tibetan branches are the most studied, and their relationship has been used to explore ancient connections across East Asia.
A D result points to a specific and comparatively rare East Asian ancestry. Because the haplogroup's branches are geographically distinct, downstream testing to establish your subclade will usually indicate a fairly specific regional origin, which makes SNP resolution particularly worthwhile here.
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