Where and when did kudzu come from? (country)?

I believe it came from Japan.

Where and when did kudzu come from? (country)?
(Pueraria lobata, or P. thunbergiana), twining perennial vine that is a member of a genus belonging to the family Leguminosae. The kudzu is a fast-growing, woody, somewhat hairy vine that may grow to a length of 18 m (60 feet) in one season. It has large leaves, long racemes with late-blooming reddish purple flowers, and flat, hairy seed pods. The plant is native to China and Japan, where it was long grown for its edible, starchy roots and for a fibre made from its stems. The kudzu was transplanted to North America with the intention of using it to anchor steep banks of soil and thereby prevent erosion. The plant has become a rampant weed in parts of the southeastern United States, however, since it readily spreads over trees and shrubs as well as exposed soil. The kudzu vine is a useful fodder crop for livestock, however, as well as an attractive ornamental. Northern winters tend to kill the plant's stems but allow the roots to survive.
Reply:I had heard that it was used by the Japanese or Chinese for thousands of years. Also, that they had found that it, in some form, cured the desire for alcohol in alcoholic rats...





Seriously.
Reply:Japan. There's nothing in the USA to keep it in check, so it's taking over the south!