Japan日本

Sofus Christiansen

This review collection, originally in Danish, assesses four recent geographical publications. The first and most extensive review concerns R. Isida's Atlas of Japan, which presents 46 topics in 73 maps, combining physical, economic, and social geography. The reviewer praises its accessible information and reasonable price, despite traditional cartography and limited social coverage. The second review covers Pacific Geology, Vol. 2, containing seven papers from the 11th Pacific Science Congress, highlighting studies on trace elements in limestone and continental drift. The third briefly recommends E. M. Bridges' World Soils as a useful introductory text on zonal soil types, with instructive color photos. Finally, the Antarctic Map Folio Series, Folio 13, is noted as a publication on Antarctic water characteristics and sound channels. Overall, the reviews recommend these works to specialists and students.

This review introduces the Atlas of Japan—physical, Economical and Social—1970, compiled by the International Society for Educational Information with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Edited by Ryūjirō Ishida, the atlas was designed to accurately present Japan to the international community. It contains 73 multi-colored maps covering natural conditions, cities and population, agriculture and fisheries, mining and manufacturing, trade, transportation, and culture, supplemented by detailed explanations in English, French, and Spanish. The reviewer regards the atlas as markedly superior to commercial economic atlases in its use of authoritative data, cartographic expression, and reproduction quality. Notably, it articulates Japan's official position on territorial issues such as the Northern Territories, unlike ambiguous presentations found elsewhere. While a few maps are either too detailed or too generalized for their scales, the overall composition is balanced and unified. In the absence of a Japanese national atlas, this work effectively functions as a quasi-national atlas for overseas audiences.

Wolf Tietze

This text consists of three book reviews, covering recent works in regional studies, planning, and archaeology. The first review discusses the Atlas of Japan, edited by Isida, which provides 73 thematic maps with English lettering and explanatory texts in English, French, and Spanish, addressing the need for a reliable Japanese atlas readable by Western audiences. It also reviews Martin Schwind's Das Japanische Inselreich, Volume I, a comprehensive land description of Japan's physical geography—including geology, climate, soils, vegetation, fauna, and natural landscapes—marked by detailed data, abundant illustrations, and the author's deep familiarity with the country. The second review examines the Danish National Planning Committee Secretariat's publication Landsplanlægning: Status og Fremtidsperspektiver, which surveys changes in Denmark's economy, agriculture, urbanization, and land use since World War II, evaluates planning programs and administrative reforms, and advocates flexible planning attuned to human scale. The third review appraises Leo Deuel's Flights into Yesterday: The Story of Aerial Archaeology, which traces the century-long development of aerial archaeology, emphasizes the contributions of pioneering individuals, and highlights the growing role of aerial photography and remote sensing in archaeological research. Collectively, the reviewed works provide valuable insights and resources for scholars in geography, planning, and archaeology.

R. Ogrissek

This is a comprehensive review of the Atlas of Japan published in Tokyo in 1970. The atlas can be classified as a medium-sized national atlas in terms of content and scope, with predominant scales of 1:4 million, 1:6 million, and 1:8 million. The review covers both the physical geography section (including topography, volcanism, climate, vegetation, and other thematic maps) and the human-economic section (including population, economic structure, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, industry, and transportation). The author notes that the atlas excels in several areas, including the natural landscape classification map, oceanographic maps, geological overview map, and land use map, which are well-designed and highly informative. However, several shortcomings are also identified, such as inappropriate scale selection in some cases (e.g., the rice cultivation map at 1:40 million), severe symbol overlap in urban agglomerations (up to approximately 50%), and insufficient differentiation in the upper blue color gradations. Overall, the printing quality of the atlas is impeccable, vividly demonstrating the advanced state of Japan's polygraphic technology.

Michael Cooper

This review of The National Atlas of Japan (Japan Map Center, 1977) evaluates the ambitious official atlas compiled by the Geographical Survey Institute from 1969. It examines the volume's structure, cartographic quality, and usefulness. The atlas contains more than 300 maps covering physical features, climate, population, industry, transport, trade, finance, social conditions, education, culture, and regions; it strikingly reveals the dominance of Tokyo and Kinki in contemporary Japan. The reviewer praises the superb color printing and high English standard but notes significant drawbacks: lack of systematic statistics, inevitable obsolescence of data based mainly on early 1970s sources, and the use of kunrei romanization. Concluding that the work is valuable for economists, social scientists, and general readers, he nevertheless questions whether such a costly, oversized volume best serves its purpose.

Christiansen, Sofus

This paper describes the conception, production, and significance of a comprehensive national atlas of Japan, created between 1971 and 1976 by a dedicated institute. The primary objectives were multifaceted: to provide a tool for public administration, a basis for education, a resource for private enterprise (including serving as a foundation for other atlases), and a means of conveying thorough information about Japan internationally. The resulting atlas comprises 216 distinct maps accompanied by explanatory notes, all crafted with exceptional care. Standard maps employ an oblique conic projection with standard parallels aligned to the main axis of the Japanese archipelago, at a scale of 1:4,000,000. The thematic maps exhibit a full range of critically selected cartographic types. Reproduction involved extraordinary effort to achieve the highest aesthetic quality, exemplified by the specially manufactured paper. Thematically, the atlas covers almost every geographical topic, from physical and climatic conditions to population, economic exploitation, transport, and social and cultural aspects. The work stands as a monumental geographical achievement; although largely traditional in approach, it will be indispensable for nearly all future treatment of Japan’s geography. Minor flaws, such as imprecise English translations (e.g., “Dispersion of precipitation” instead of “Distribution of precipitation”), were noted. Overall, the atlas represents a unique and outstanding feat. Unfortunately, its high price and storage requirements are likely to limit its widespread dissemination.

Sargent, John; Geographical Survey Institute, Ministry of Construction

This paper provides a critical review of two significant cartographic publications. The main focus is the English-language edition of *The National Atlas of Japan*, a collaborative effort between government officials, academics, and cartographers. The review assesses the atlas’s overall production quality, describing its binding, colour representation, and printing as meeting the highest international standards. The atlas contains 216 maps, predominantly thematic, across A1 and A2 formats, accompanied by detailed explanatory notes that collectively summarize Japan’s physical, social, and economic geography. Key thematic emphases are analysed, notably the strong coverage of economic activities, physical environment, and social conditions, with particular attention given to maps addressing environmental problems, a reflection of contemporary Japanese concerns. The review evaluates cartographic techniques, including colour shading, proportional symbols, dot maps, and proportional lines, finding them generally effective but noting that the narrow geography of the Japanese archipelago occasionally leads to visual clutter, as seen in the coastal shipping map. While the atlas succeeds admirably as a comprehensive reference work for planners, two limitations are identified: most maps depict static distributions, lacking temporal change, and some information is obscured by the deep centre fold in larger double-page maps. The paper also briefly introduces the *Irrigation Atlas of India*, noting its introductory maps on meteorology, soils, land use, crops, population, and groundwater, followed by detailed maps of irrigation command areas. Overall, the review commends the Japanese atlas as an indispensable, high-standard reference for students of modern Japan, while offering a preliminary glance at the Indian atlas’s scope.

H. Boesch

This article reviews and compares two newly published national atlases: the National Atlas of Japan (English edition, 1977) and the Atlas of the German Democratic Republic (first delivery, 1976). Written from the perspective of a geographer and map author, the review focuses on overall concepts and the design of individual map sheets. Both atlases follow a conventional structure, moving from physical geography to population and economic activities, but differ in emphasis: the DDR atlas devotes more space to production in the socialist sense, while the Japanese atlas highlights services, social conditions, and cultural institutions. The atlases also differ in their use of reverse sides: the DDR atlas provides multilingual legends and additional information, whereas the Japanese atlas offers extensive textual and graphic explanations that amount to a small geographical encyclopedia. Stylistically, the Japanese atlas is more traditional, employing predominantly choropleth maps and familiar symbols, with refined drawing and restrained colors; the DDR atlas presents more novel graphic solutions, such as a road-network map combining point, line, and area elements, and a half-page map of potash and rock-salt industry. The author notes that both atlases are highly stimulating despite some debatable choices. A separate brief review discusses Fehling’s study of Australia’s iron ore economy, praised as a model of economic-geographic description, though lacking a Japanese perspective. Overall, the article offers valuable insights for national atlas comparison and cartographic design.

W. Albrecht

This review article examines two recent cartographic reference works. The first, The National Atlas of Japan, published by the Geographical Survey Institute in 1977, represents Japan's first national atlas. The reviewer praises its broad thematic coverage, which includes physical geography, climate, population, economy, infrastructure, and recreation, as well as its generally sound cartographic design. Useful features such as transparent overlays of administrative boundaries and a gazetteer are also welcomed. However, he criticizes the coarse prefecture-level basis for many maps, which limits practical application in economic planning; the inconsistent temporal coverage of data; and the omission of several standard themes, such as commuting flows, industry location measured by output value, and analytical settlement typology. The second work is Winch's Karto-Bibliographie, a comprehensive bibliography of maps and atlases currently available from more than 700 publishers. The reviewer considers it valuable for filling a bibliographic gap, appreciates its current coverage and systematic arrangement, but notes that many entries lack publication dates, reducing its reliability for precise citation. Overall, the review acknowledges both books as significant contributions, while pointing out specific shortcomings.

The population series of The National Atlas of Japan consists of four components: main maps, auxiliary maps, statistical charts, and textual explanations, which can be grouped thematically into population distribution, population composition, and population change. The series is distinguished by its rich content, covering 15 topics including population distribution, density, growth, migration, age and sex structure, household composition, and occupational structure. It employs refined cartographic techniques, using multiple indicators, detailed class intervals (typically 6–9 levels), diverse statistical units, and precise graphic symbols to reveal quantitative differences. The innovative use of triangular diagrams in dasymetric-style mapping and the extensive integration of 114 statistical charts, including population pyramids, greatly enhance expressiveness. Place-name labeling is efficiently managed through transparent polyester overlay maps of administrative divisions, and the printing quality is excellent. A notable weakness is the absence of maps showing ethnic composition. The series offers valuable reference for the compilation of population thematic maps and atlases in China.