The Soils of Japan

Chapter 1. Overview (HATANO Ryusuke).- Chapter 2. Soil Forming Factors (TAMURA Kenji).- Chapter 3. Soil Classification and Distribution (SHINJO Hitoshi).- Chapter 4. Major Soil Types (TAKATA Yusuke).- Chapter 5. HOKKAIDO Region (Toshiro Nakatsuji).- Chapter 6. TOHOKU Region (Fujii Hiroshi).- Chapter 7. KANTO-KOUSHINETSU Region (Sumida Hiroaki).- Chapter 8. CHUBU Region (HOKURIKU/TOKAI) (Ogawa Naoto).- Chapter 9. KINKI, CHUGOKU, and SHIKOKU Regions (Yanai Junta).- Chapter 10. KYUSHU and OKINAWA Regions (ARAKAWA Yusuke).

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.

"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)