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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.
Ryusuke Hatano is a professor of research in the Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Japan. He is a past president of the Japanese Society of Soil Physics (2010–2012), a vice president of the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition (2017–present), and the chair of Commission 4.3 of the IUSS (2011–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
