According to Genesis, Japheth was the ancestor associated with the peoples called Japhethites. Genesis 10:2 begins the genealogy of Japheth's sons, naming Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The chapter presents these descendants within its account of the nations after the Flood.
The term “Japhethites” is a conventional label derived from Japheth's name. Genesis itself more often speaks of his sons and their descendants than of a single formal ethnic group. Ancient identifications of these names with later peoples have varied among Jewish, Christian, and modern commentators.
Japheth was one of Noah's three sons, alongside Shem and Ham. The genealogical sequence in Genesis 10 treats each son separately before describing the spread of nations and languages.
It is important not to treat later maps of supposed Japhethite territories as certain biblical geography. Genesis supplies names and relationships, but many exact historical identifications remain debated.