Yamato, ancient Japan
倭 centers on the historical name for ancient Japan, Yamato, and by extension the early Japanese people and state.
倭 combines 亻 (person) with 委, which likely contributes the sound. The character was used historically to refer to Japan and the Yamato people.
A person 亻 standing beside 委, a shape associated with ancient Japan. Picture a person from the Yamato period, representing the early Japanese state.
For ワ, imagine a person from ancient Japan saying 'wa' as a greeting: wa -> ワ, and the person 亻 represents the Yamato people.
Japanese person
Japan
Wajinden (passages in Records of the Three Kingdoms describing the Wa people)
Wamyōruijushō (famous Heian-period Japanese dictionary)
wokou; wakō; Japanese pirates who raided the Chinese and Korean coastlines between the 13th and 16th centuries
Wagokuhen (c. 1489 Japanese kanji dictionary)
king of Yamato
Japanese style
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598); Imjin war
Japan
Wajinden (passages in Records of the Three Kingdoms describing the Wa people)