The Soils of Japan

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiii

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2. Introduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Overview

      • Ryusuke Hatano, Hitoshi Shinjo, Yusuke Takata

      Pages 3-9

3. General Features

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 11-11

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   2. Soil-Forming Factors

      • Kenji Tamura, Hideki Miura, Shinji Kaneko, Tetsuya Sano, Hideo Kubotera

      Pages 13-51

   3. Soil Classification and Distribution

      • Hitoshi Shinjo, Yusuke Takata

      Pages 53-68

   4. Major Soil Types

      • Yusuke Takata, Masayuki Kawahigashi, Kimihiro Kida, Masayuki Tani, Rintaro Kinoshita, Toyoaki Ito et al.

      Pages 69-132

4. Regional Features

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 133-133

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   2. Hokkaido Region

      • Toshiro Nakatsuji, Hiroyuki Shiga, Harunobu Takeuchi, Yasutaka Tsukamoto, Eiji Gotou, Yuji Watanabe et al.

      Pages 135-184

   3. Tohoku Region

      • Hiroshi Fujii, Shizuka Mori, Yumi Matsumoto, Yuka Sasaki, Chiharu Ito, Shinpei Nakagawa et al.

      Pages 185-244

   4. Kanto-Koushinetsu Region

      • Hiroaki Sumida, Yusuke Takata, Masataka Komatsu, Kumiko Baba, Yutaka Shiratori, Hiroshi Takesako et al.

      Pages 245-271

   5. Chubu Region (Hokuriku/Tokai)

      • Naoto Ogawa, Susumu Asakawa, Jun Murase, Akira Watanabe, Hirotatsu Murano, Hidetaka Sasaki et al.

      Pages 273-298

   6. Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku Regions

      • Junta Yanai, Mitsuru Toma, Hidetoshi Mochizuki, Naoki Moritsuka, Kentaro Wada, Tomoji Uchiyama et al.

      Pages 299-326

   7. Kyushu and Okinawa Regions

      • Yusuke Arakawa, Takashi Kusaba, Hideo Kubotera, Ichiro Uezono, Naoko Miyamaru, Yuichi Saeki et al.

      Pages 327-365

5. Correction to: Soil Classification and Distribution

   • Hitoshi Shinjo, Yusuke Takata

   Pages C1-C7

6. Back Matter

   Pages 367-372

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This book provides an overview of the distribution, properties, and function of soils in Japan. First, it offers general descriptions of the country’s climate, geology, geomorphology, and land use, the history of the Japanese soil classification system and characteristics and genesis of major soil types follow. For each region – a geographic/administrative region of the country – there is a chapter with details of current land use as well as properties and management challenges of major soils. Maps of soil distribution, pedon descriptions, profile images, and tables of properties are included throughout the text and appendices.

• Pedology in Japan
• Sustainable land use in Japan
• Japanese soil inventory
• Soil environment
• Nature and functions of soils

“This book is well organized, and by reading it in order, you can learn about the background of Japanese soils and how to deal with them according to their indigenous properties. … This book has the potential to serve as a guide book for at least the next 10 to 20 years, communicating the current state of knowledge on Japanese soils and agriculture both within and outside Japan, and within and outside the field of soil science.” (Pedologist, Vol. 65 (1), 2021)

• Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

  Ryusuke Hatano

• Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

  Hitoshi Shinjo

• National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan

  Yusuke Takata

Ryusuke Hatano is a professor in the Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Japan. He is a past president of the Japanese Society of Soil Physics (2010–2012), a president of the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition (2019–present), and the chair of Division 2 of the IUSS (2018–present).

Hitoshi Shinjo is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies/ Agriculture of Kyoto University, Japan. He was the secretary general of the Japanese Society of Pedology from 2012 to 2016, when he devoted himself to coordinating the Committee of Soil Classification and Nomenclature to release the Soil Classification System of Japan in 2017. He is a board member and councilor of the Japanese Society of Pedology.

Yusuke Takata is a senior researcher in the Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, Japan.  He is a board member of the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, and a Board Member of the Japanese Society of Pedology. His research interests are digital soil mapping, soil conservation, agro-environmental indicators, and developing information and communication technology tools for soil education.

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