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East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in many ways. Geographically, it covers 12,000,000 km, or about 28% of the Asian continent, 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe. More than 1.5 billion people, 40% of the population of Asia or a quarter of all the people in the world, live in East Asia, which is about twice the population of Europe. The region is one of the world's most crowded places. The population density of East Asia, 131 per km, is about three times the world average of 45 per km.

Historically, many societies in East Asia have been part of the Chinese cultural sphere, and East Asian languages are often derived from Classical Chinese and Chinese script. Major religions include Buddhism, Confucianism, and Neo-Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion, and Shinto in Japan.

Confucianism

Confucianism, more elaborated form of ancestor worship was a major influence on East Asian history. It was originated in the northern China in the 5th century BC and based on the Zhou Dynasty social system, including the ancestral worship. Confucianism showed a strong adherence toward existing hierarchy and respect for the authorities: aged, ancestor and political authority considered authentic by blood.

Debated during the Warring States Period and forbidden during the short-lived Qin Dynasty, Confucianism was chosen by Emperor Wu of Han for use as a political system to govern the Chinese state. Despite its loss of influence during the Tang Dynasty, Confucianist doctrine remained a mainstream Chinese orthodoxy for two millennia until the 20th century, when it was attacked by radical Chinese thinkers as a vanguard of a pre-modern system and an obstacle to China's modernization, eventually culminating in its repression during the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China. After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Confucianism has been revived in mainland China, and both interest in and debate about Confucianism have surged.

The cultures most strongly influenced by Confucianism include those of China (including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau), Korea, and Vietnam as well as various territories (including Singapore) settled predominantly by Chinese people. On the other hand, while Confucianism as philosophy was introduced in Japan, as well as its ritual tradition, the latter didn't become popular in Japan.

Buddhism

Buddhism, also one of major religion in East Asia, was introduced into China during the Han dynasty through Pakistan in the 1st century BC. Buddhism was originally introduced to Korea from China in 372, and eventually arrived in Japan around the turn of the 6th century.

For a long time Buddhism remained a foreign religion with a few believers in China, mainly taught by immigrant Indian teachers. In the mid of Tang dynasty, a fair amount of translations from Sanskrit into Chinese were done by Chinese priests, and Buddhism became one of major religions of Chinese as well as other two indigenous religions.

In Korea, Buddhism was surpassed by Confucianism and lost its actuality.

In Japan, Buddhism and Shinto was combined by a theological theory "Ryōbushintō", which says Shinto deities are avatars of various Buddhist entities including Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This became the mainstream notion of Japanese religion and until when the Meiji government declared their separation in the mid 19th Century, for many Japanese people Buddhism and Shinto were one same religion.

Taoism

The third philosophical element of East Asia is Taoism. In China, it affected Buddhism and develop the thought of void which would later ripe as Zen Buddhism. Also Taoism combined with the rural and vulgar religious feelings and developed its pantheon. Taoism is still widely believed in China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. Feng-sui, a fortune telling related to location and colors is one of derivatives of Taoism.

Taoism was introduced to Korea from China during the Three Kingdoms