As mentioned earlier in the report, comprehensive data on the demographic status of the indigenous peoples in the Asian region are incomplete or not available. Information on indigenous peoples in Central and Western Asia, in particular, is so scarce it is very difficult to draw even a rough profile of the population. An estimate offered by the International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) in 2008 with a subsequent edition by Hall and Patrinos (2012) is an often cited source for understanding the distribution of the indigenous peoples is in the subregions of Asian continent. In Japan, according to Figure 1, there are some 230,000 indigenous peoples.