The document discusses soil priorities and issues at both the national and regional levels in Japan. At the national level, the top priorities are soil erosion and soil pollution/contamination. At the regional level, the key priorities are soil erosion reducing humus-rich topsoil, pollution of surface and groundwater from excessive fertilizer use, subsoil compaction limiting plant growth from heavy machinery, urban sprawl without proper soil assessments, and heavy metal/radionuclide pollution. Updated high-quality soil maps and data are needed, as well as efforts to increase public understanding of soil management.

1. Soil priorities at the national level:
1)Soil erosion
Photo.1 The surface humus-rich soils eroded from top
to foot slope.
2) Soil pollution and contamination
Fig.2 Distribution of contamination countermeasures
areas in agricultural soils in Japan
(www.env.go.jp/council/10dojo/y100-24/mat03.pdf)
Experience as editor:
Soil Information that can be made available for the Atlas at the regional
level. This could include maps (please indicate scale, date, classification used
and if available digital), reports, policy documents, scientific studies:
Soil Information that can be made available for the Atlas at the national
level. This could include maps (please indicate scale, date, classification used
and if available digital), reports, policy documents, scientific studies:
Please specify the surface area affected by the identified soil threats
and (if any) which actions are taken to address them.
Soil priorities at the regional level:
• Soil erosion provoking a loss of humus rich surface
soil material.
• Off-site pollution of surface and ground water by
heavy fertilization.
• Subsoil compaction due to heavy mechanization
prevents proper growth of root and root crops.
• Sprawling urbanization due to lacking of a proper soil
productivity capability assessment and zoning.
• Heavy metal and radionuclides pollution.
Please specify the surface area affected by the identified priorities and
which countries they interest the most.
1)The soil map of Japan according to CSCJ(2011)
Fig.1 Soil map of Japan at 1:200,000 scale based on
the Comprehensive Soil Classification System of
Japan First Approximation (Obara et al. 2016)
• 1:1,000,000 to 1:500,000 scale soil classification
map would be useful to overview of regional soil
resources.
• Updated benchmark soil profile information
including physico-chemical properties is
essential.
• Narrative explanation of soil classification which
helps all stakeholders to understand particular
soil and to take a sustainable soil management.
• Which country does she legislate basic act of soil
conservation and/or sustainable soil
management?
Network:
Name of the presenter: Main areas of expertise:
Country:
Yuji MAEJIMA, Ph.D.
JAPAN
None
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries(MAFF), Prefectural Agricultural Experiment
Stations, and Universities.
Pedology (Soil genesis and classification)
Need for updated soil information and
dissemination of understanding soil in the public.