The Japanese is the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese domestic counterpart to the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological sp ...

of Threatened Species. The national Red List is compiled and maintained by the Ministry of the Environment, alongside a separate Red List for marine organisms. Similarly drawing on the relevant scientific authorities, NGOs, and local governments, the Ministry of the Environment also prepares and publishes a that provides further information on

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

and

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s. The first Red List was published by the then Environmental Agency as part of the first Red Data Book in 1991; in 2020, the fifth edition of the fourth version of the Red List was published. In line with the Marine Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, decided upon by the Ministry in 2011, in 2017 the first Marine Life Red List was published, excluding species subject to international agreements, such as those within the remit of the

Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western world, countries tha ...

(WCPFC) (''e.g.'',

Pacific bluefin tuna The Pacific bluefin tuna (''Thunnus orientalis'') is a predatory species of tuna found widely in the northern Pacific Ocean, but it is migratory and also recorded as a visitor to the south Pacific. In the past it was often included in '' T. thyn ...

) and

International Whaling Commission The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a specialised regional fishery management organisation, established under the terms of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) to "provide for the proper conservation ...

(IWC), species under evaluation by the

Fisheries Agency The Fisheries Agency (FA; ) is the agency of the Ministry of Agriculture of Taiwan (ROC) responsible for all matters relating to fisheries. History In May 1998, the amendment of the Regulation for the Organization of the Council of Agriculture ...

, smaller

Cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively c ...

ns, and those already evaluated for the Red List. With the renewed focus on evaluating the rarity or otherwise of marine life in line with the National Biodiversity Strategy 2012–2020, using the same evaluation criteria and categories as the Ministry of the Environment, and working in collaboration with the Ministry, the

has also produced a Red List of marine resources and smaller

ns, excluding species subject to international agreements, such as those in the remit of the WCPFC and IWC. Evaluations of 94 species were published in 2017, all falling outside the rankings (''i.e.'', being of

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

), other than '' Pleuronichthys japonicus'' (Data Deficient). The Red List (and Red Data Book) itself has no legal force but is intended to be used to provide information and to serve as a "warning to society". Appropriate action may be taken under the 1992 ''Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Act'' a

Classification

As of the 2020 edition, thirteen

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

are used for classification purposes by the Ministry of the Environment: *

Fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

** ** ** ** ** Five further taxa are used for the Marine Life Red List: :* :* :* :* :* The following categories are used to indicate organisms'

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

specifically within Japan; where a species or

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

, the status EX (

Extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

) is indicative of its global status. Dugong Marsa Alam

Statistics

Extinct taxa

* Mammals:

Hokkaido wolf The Hokkaido wolf (''Canis lupus hattai''), also known as the and in Russia as the Sakhalin wolf,Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N., P. (1998''Mammals of the Soviet Union'' Vol.II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears) Science Pub ...

(''Canis lupus hattai''),

Japanese wolf The Japanese wolf (, , or , below]; ''Canis lupus hodophilax''), also known as the Honshū wolf, is an extinct subspecies of the gray wolf that was once endemic to the islands of Honshū, Shikoku and Kyūshū in the Japanese archipelago. It was ...

(''Canis lupus hodophilax''),

Japanese river otter The (''Lutra nippon'') or Japanese river otter is an extinct species of otter formerly widespread in Japan. Dating back to the 1880s, it was once even seen in Tokyo. The population suddenly shrank in the 1930s and nearly vanished. Since then, i ...

(''Lutra lutra nippon''),

Hokkaido river otter is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

(''Lutra lutra whiteleyi''), Okinawa flying fox (''Pteropus loochoensis'') , (''Rhinolophus pumilus miyakonis''), Bonin pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus sturdeei'') * Birds:

Crested shelduck The crested shelduck (''Tadorna cristata''), or Korean crested shelduck, is a species of bird in the family Anatidae. It is critically endangered. The male crested shelduck has a greenish-black crown, breast, primaries, and tail, while the rest o ...

(''Tadorna cristata'') , Ryukyu wood pigeon (''Columba jouyi'') , Bonin wood pigeon (''Columba versicolor'') , Bonin nankeen night heron (''Nycticorax caledonicus crassirostris'') , Iwo Jima rail (''Porzana cinerea brevipes'') , Daito buzzard (''Buteo buteo oshiroi''), Ryukyu kingfisher (''Todiramphus miyakoensis''),

Tristram's woodpecker Tristram's woodpecker (''Dryocopus javensis richardsi'') (, Japanese: ) is a Korean subspecies of the white-bellied woodpecker. It was firstly identified and described by English scholar and ornithologist Henry Baker Tristram in 1879. Descripti ...

(''Dryocopus javensis richardsi''), Izu

Peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

(''Falco peregrinus furuitii''), Daito varied tit, (''Poecile varius orii''), Mukojima white-eye (''Apalopteron familiare familiare''), Daito wren (''Troglodytes troglodytes orii''), Bonin thrush (''Cichlopasser terrestris'') , Southern

Ryukyu robin The Ryukyu robin (''Larvivora komadori'') is a bird endemic to the Ryūkyū Islands, of Japan. The Okinawa robin (''Larvivora namiyei'') previously was considered a subspecies. The specific name ''komadori'' is, somewhat confusingly, the comm ...

(''Luscinia komadori subrufus''), Bonin grosbeak (''Chaunoproctus ferreorostris'') * Brackish and Freshwater Fish:

Green sturgeon The green sturgeon (''Sinosturio medirostris'') is a species of sturgeon native to the northern Pacific Ocean, from China and Russia to Canada and the United States. Taxonomy Prior to 2025, it was placed in the genus ''Acipenser''. However, thi ...

(''Acipenser medirostris''), '' Gnathopogon elongatus suwae'', Amur stickleback (''Pungitius kaibarae'') * Insects: '' Ishikawatrechus intermedius'', ''

Rakantrechus ''Rakantrechus'' is a genus in the beetle family Carabidae. There are more than 20 described species in ''Rakantrechus'', found in Japan. Species These 27 species belong to the genus ''Rakantrechus'': * ''Rakantrechus andoi'' Ueno, 1959 * ''Rak ...

elegans'', ''

Prodaticus ''Prodaticus'' is a subgenus of beetles of the genus '' Hydaticus'' in the family Dytiscidae. These 143 species are in the subgenus ''Prodaticus'': * '' Hydaticus abyssinicus'' Régimbart, 1905 * '' Hydaticus aequabilis'' Guignot, 1958 * '' Hyd ...

satoi'' a '' Macroplea japana'' * Molluscs: '' Ogasawarana chichijimana'' , '' Ogasawarana habei'' , '' Ogasawarana rex'' , ''

Assiminea ''Assiminea'' is a genus of minute, salt-tolerant snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks, or micromollusks, in the family Assimineidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Assiminea Fleming, 1828. Accessed through: World Register of Ma ...

'' sp. D, '' Hirasea diplomphalus latispira'', '' Hirasea eutheca'' , ''

Hirasea goniobasis ''Hirasea goniobasis'' is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Endodontidae. This is an endangered species. Distribution This species (and indeed the whole genus) is endemic to Ja ...

'' , '' Hirasea hypolia'' , '' Hirasea major'' , '' Hirasea nesiotica'' liobasis, '' Hirasea planulata biconcava'', '' Hirasea planulata planulata'', '' Hirasea profundispira'' , '' Hirasea sinuosa'' , '' Hirasiella clara'' , '' Lamprocystis hahajimana pachychilus'', '' Trochochlamys ogasawarana'' , '' Vitrinula chichijimana'' , '' Vitrinula hahajimana'' * Other Invertebrates: '' Compressalges nipponiae'' * Vascular Plants: ''

Elatostema ''Elatostema'' is a genus of flowering plants containing approximately 350 known species in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to tropical forest clearings throughout Australasia, Asia and Africa. There may be as many as 1,000 species of this l ...

lineolatum'' var. ''majus'', '' Ranunculus gmelinii'', ''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. ...

hatsushimae'', '' Flemingia strobilifera'', ''

Lespedeza ''Lespedeza'' is a genus of some 45 species (including nothospecies) of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae), commonly known as bush clovers or (particularly East Asian species) Japanese clovers (''hagi''). The genus is native to warm t ...

hisauchii'', ''

Euphrasia ''Euphrasia'', or eyebright, is a genus of about 215 species of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family (biology), family Orobanchaceae (formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae), with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are P ...

insignis insignis'' var. ''omiensis'', ''

insignis insignis'' var. ''pubigera'', ''

multifolia'' var. ''kirisimana'', ''

Cirsium ''Cirsium'' is a genus of Perennial plant, perennial and Biennial plant, biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thist ...

toyoshimae'', ''

Aletris ''Aletris'', the colicroot, colicweed, crow corn, or unicorn root, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Nartheciaceae, native to North America and to eastern and southeastern Asia, especially China China, officially the People's ...

makiyataroi'', '' Burmannia coelestris'', ''

Thismia ''Thismia'' is a genus of myco-heterotrophic plants in family Burmanniaceae, known as "fairy lanterns". They are native to East and Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas. Description ''Thismia'' are perennial,' ...

tuberculata'', '' Eriocaulon cauliferum'', ''

Cyperus ''Cyperus'' is a large genus of about 700 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. Description They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving ...

diaphanus'', ''

procerus'', ''

Fimbristylis ''Fimbristylis'' is a genus of sedges. A plant in this genus may be known commonly as a fimbry or fimbristyle. There are 200 to 300 species distributed worldwide. Several continents have native species but many species have been introduced to ...

leptoclada'' var. ''takamineana'', ''

pauciflora'', '' Acanthephippium striatum'' *Algae: '' Chara fibrosa'' var. ''brevibracteata'', ''

Chara globularis ''Chara globularis'' is a species of charophyte green algae The green algae (: green alga) are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains ...

'' var. ''hakonensis'', ''

Nitella ''Nitella'' is a genus of charophyte green algae in the family Characeae. Species The species in the genus include: *'' Nitella abyssinica'' A. Braun * '' Nitella acuminata'' A. Braun ex Wallman *'' Nitella aemula'' A. Braun * '' Nitella ann ...

minispora'', ''

Porphyra ''Porphyra'' is a genus of coldwater seaweeds that grow in cold, shallow seawater. More specifically, it belongs to red algae phylum of laver species (from which comes laverbread), comprising approximately 70 species.Brodie, J.A. and Irvine, L ...

angusta'' *Lichens: '' Erioderma tomentosum'', ''

Heterodermia ''Heterodermia'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Physciaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in tropical regions, and contains about 80 species. Description ''Heterodermia'' are subterranean or almost upright le ...

angustiloba'', ''

leucomelos'', '' Siphula ceratites'' *Fungi: ''

Agaricus ''Agaricus'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi containing both edible and poisonous species, with over 400 members worldwide and possibly again as many disputed or newly discovered species. The genus includes the common ("button") mushroom ...

hahashimensis'', '' Albatrellus cantharellus'', '' Camarophyllus microbicolor'', '' Chlorophyllum agaricoides'', '' Circulocolumella hahashimensis'', ''

Clitocybe ''Clitocybe'' is a genus of mushrooms characterized by white, off-white, buff, cream, pink, or light-yellow spores, gills running down the stem, and pale white to brown or lilac coloration. They are primarily saprotrophic, decomposing forest grou ...

castaneofloccosa'', ''

Collybia ''Collybia'' (in the strict sense) is a genus of mushrooms in the family Clitocybaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution in northern temperate areas, and contains well known species like the Collybia nuda, blewit, Collybia sordida, s ...

matris'', ''

Coprinus ''Coprinus'' is a small genus of mushroom-forming fungi consisting of '' Coprinus comatus''the shaggy ink cap (British) or shaggy mane ( American)and several of its close relatives. Until 2001, ''Coprinus'' was a large genus consisting of all a ...

boninensis'', ''

Cyathus ''Cyathus'' is a genus of fungi in the Nidulariaceae, which is a family (biology), family collectively known as the bird's nest fungi. They are given this name as they resemble tiny bird's nests filled with "eggs"structures large enough to ...

boninensis'', ''

Ganoderma ''Ganoderma'' is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They may be called ''shelf mushrooms'' or bracket fungi and have a high genetic diversity. ''Ganoderma'' can b ...

colossus'', ''

Gymnopilus ''Gymnopilus'' is a genus of gilled mushrooms within the fungal family Hymenogastraceae containing over 200 rusty-orange spored mushroom species. Description The basidiocarp, fruit body is typically reddish brown to rusty orange to yellow, med ...

noviholocirrhus'', ''

Hygrocybe ''Hygrocybe'' is a genus of agarics (gilled fungi) in the family Hygrophoraceae. Called waxcaps in English (sometimes waxy caps in North America), basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are often brightly coloured and have dry to waxy pileus (mycology), cap ...

macrospora'', ''

miniatostriata'', ''

Lactarius ''Lactarius'' is a genus of mushroom-producing, ectomycorrhizal fungi, containing several Edible mushroom, edible species. The species of the genus, common name, commonly known as milk-caps, are characterized by the milky fluid ("latex") they ex ...

ogasawarashimensis'', ''

Lentinus ''Lentinus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with many species found in subtropical regions. The genus name ''Lentinus'' is derived from the Latin ''lent'', meaning "pliable", and ''inus'', meani ...

lamelliporus'', ''

Lepiota ''Lepiota'' is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All ''Lepiota'' species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are agaricoid with whitish spores, typica ...

boninensis'', '' Leptoglossum boninense'', ''

Lycoperdon ''Lycoperdon'' is a genus of puffball mushrooms. The genus has a widespread distribution and contains about 50 species. In general, it contains the smaller species such as the pear-shaped puffball and the gem-studded puffball. It was formerly cl ...

henningsii'', ''

Pleurotus ''Pleurotus'' is a genus of gilled mushrooms which includes one of the most widely eaten mushrooms, '' P. ostreatus''. Species of ''Pleurotus'' may be called oyster, abalone, or tree mushrooms, and are some of the most commonly cultivated ...

cyatheae'', '' Pluteus daidoi'', '' Pluteus horridilamellus'', ''

Psathyrella ''Psathyrella'' is a large genus of about 400 species, and is similar to the genera ''Coprinellus'', ''Coprinopsis'', ''Coprinus'' and ''Panaeolus'', usually with a thin pileus (mycology), cap and white or yellowish white hollow stipe (mycology), ...

boninensis'', '' Pyrrhoglossum subpurpureum'', '' Rhodophyllus brunneolus'', ''

Russula ''Russula'' is a very large genus composed of around 750 worldwide species of fungi. The genus was described by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1796. The mushrooms are fairly large, and brightly colored – making them one of the most recognizable ...

boninensis'' * Coral: Merulina coral (''Boninastrea boninensis'')

Prefectural Red Lists

Localized Red Lists and Red Data are also prepared and published by a number of Prefectural Governments, including those of

Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...

and

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Classification

Statistics

Extinct taxa

Prefectural Red Lists

See also

References

External links