Reviews: atlas of Japan, physical, economic and social

Summary

This is an academic review of the Atlas of Japan: Physical, Economic, and Social, published in 1970. Compiled by the International Society for Education Information, the atlas aims to correct erroneous and outdated information about Japan in foreign publications. The review notes that the atlas contains 64 pages of color maps covering topics found in most national thematic atlases, plus unique features such as maps of daily population flow in major metropolitan centers and regional productivity of agricultural labor. Cartographic quality is generally high, but issues include outdated data (e.g., population maps based on the 1960 census), poorly chosen English titles and legends, and unfamiliar romanization of place names. Despite these shortcomings, the review concludes that the atlas is a valuable addition to reference materials on Japan and suitable as a basic text for introductory geography courses, though its price may limit widespread adoption.