Japan

EAAFP Member since: 2006
Number of EAAFP Flyway Network Sites: 34
Focal Point Contact
- Ms. Kaoru Sakai
  
  Assistant Director, Wildlife Division, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan
  
  Email: KAORU_SAKAI@env.go.jp
  
  Tel: +81-3-5521-8284

Japan has been a Partner since 2006 (MoP1). It now has 34 Flyway Network Sites, the most recent designation being, 2021, September. The sites supports as breeding habitat for Key Species of EAAFP such as Black-faced Spoonbill, a large number of Crane species as well as staging for many other migrating waterbirds. There is a very active community working to support migratory waterbirds in Japan. Particular activity is noted for Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans) and Crane.

EAAF SITECODE	NAME OF SITE	SITE INFORMATION SHEET	YEAR SIS UPDATED	SITE PHOTOS	VIEW IN GOOGLE EARTH
EAAF029	Akkeshi-ko & Bekambeushi-shitsugen	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF030	Izumi (formerly named "Arasaki")			View	View
EAAF031	Kiritappu Marsh		n/a		View
EAAF032	Kushiro-shitsugen	SIS	1999*	View	View
EAAF033	Yashiro		n/a		View
EAAF047	Biwa-ko	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF048	Biwase-wan	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF049	Fukushimagata	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF050	Hyouko-suikin-koen	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF051	Kabukuri-numa	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF052	Katano Kamoike	SIS	1999*	View	View
EAAF053	Kutcharo-ko	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF054	Manko Tidal Flats	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF055	Miyajima-numa	SIS	1999*	View	View
EAAF056	Otomo-numa	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF057	Sakata	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF058	Shiroishi-gawa	SIS	1999*		View
EAAF059	Yatsu Tidal Flats		n/a	View	View
EAAF060	Yonago-Mizudori-koen	SIS	1999*	View	View
EAAF061	Yoshino Estuary		n/a	View	View
EAAF063	Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park	SIS	2000*	View	View
EAAF071	Kashima Shingomori	SIS	2001*	View	View
EAAF072	Utonai-ko		n/a		View
EAAF076	Osaka Nankou Bird Sanctuary	SIS	2003*		View
EAAF080	Fujimae-Higata	SIS	2004*	View	View
EAAF081	Kumagawa Estuary	SIS	2004*	View	View
EAAF088	Hachirogata-Kantakuchi	SIS	2006*		View
EAAF098	Kejo-numa	SIS	2009*		View
EAAF099	Furen-ko and Shunkuni-tai	SIS	2010*	View	View
EAAF113	Arao-higata	SIS	2013	View	View
EAAF115	Izu-numa and Uchi-numa	SIS	2014	View	View
EAAF116	Notsuke-hanto and Notsuke-wan	SIS	2014		View
EAAF124	Higashiyoka-higata	SIS	2016	View	View
EAAF151	Sarobetsu Wetland	SIS	2021	View

Key Species of EAAFP in Japan
Shorebird	Anatidae	Crane	Seabird	Others
Curlew Sandpiper	Baer's Pochard	Oriental Stork	Dalmatian Pelican	Black-Faced Spoonbill
Red Knot	Lesser White-fronted Goose	Siberian Crane	Chinese Crested Tern	Japanese Night-heron
Great Knot	Long-tailed Duck	Red-crowned Crane	Relict Gull	Chinese Egret
Asian Dowitcher	Steller's Eider	Hooded Crane	Saunder’s Gull	Swinhoe’s Rail
Far Eastern Curlew		White-naped Crane
Eurasian Curlew
Black-tailed Godwit
Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Spotted Greenshank

Location: Shiga Prefecture

Coordinates (lat, long): 35.25000, 136.08333

Area: 65,602 ha

Date of joining: 1999 May 14

Status: Prefectural Wildlife Protection Area

Other listings: Ramsar, Important Bird and Biodiversity Area

Important for Anatidae, and Others

Important species

Anser fabalis middendorffii (Middendorf’s Bean Goose), Cygnus columbianus (Tundra Swan), Anas penelope (Eurasian Wigeon), Anas strepera (Gadwall), Aythya ferina (Common Pochard), Aythya fuligula (Tufted Duck), Aythya marila (Greater Scaup), Anas crecca (Eurasian Teal), Anas poecilorhyncha (Spot-billed Duck), Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard), Podiceps cristatus (Great Crested Grebe), Podiceps nigricollis (Black-necked Grebe), Phalacrocorax carbo (Great Cormorant)

Location: Chiba Prefecture

Coordinates (lat, long): 35.68333, 140.00000

Area: 40.0 ha

Date of joining: 1999 July 25

Status: Shorebird reserve

Other listings: Ramsar

Important for Shorebirds

Important species
Calidris alpina (Dunlin), Haematopus ostralegus (Eurasian Oystercatcher), Pluvialis squatarola (Grey Plover), Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover), Charadrius mongolus (Lesser Sandplover), Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel), Heteroscelus brevipes (Grey-tailed Tattler), Limosa lapponica (Bar-tailed Godwit), Arenaria interpres (Ruddy Turnstone), Calidris alba (Sanderling)

Location: Osaka Prefecture

Coordinates (lat, long): 34.63333, 135.63333

Area: 19.3 ha

Date of joining: 2003 July 21

Status: Bird Sanctuary

Other listings: Important Bird and Biodiversity Area

Important for Shorebirds, and Others

Important species

Charadrius dubius (Little Ringed Plover), Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover), Calidris ruficollis (Red-necked Stint), Heteroscelus brevipes (Grey-tailed Tattler), Tringa guttifer (Spotted Greenshank), Calidris pygmaea (Spoon-billed Sandpiper)

Location: Aichi Prefecture

Coordinates (lat, long): 35.08330. 136.83330

Area: 323.0 ha

Date of joining: 2004 August 01

Status: Protected Area

Other listings: Ramsar, Important Bird and Biodiversity Area

Important for Shorebirds

Important species

Vanellus cinereus (Grey-headed Lapwing), Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover), Pluvialis squatarola (Grey Plover), Arenaria interpres (Ruddy Turnstone), Calidris alpina (Dunlin), Calidris ruficollis (Red-necked Stint), Heteroscelus brevipes (Grey-tailed Tattler), Xenus cinereus (Terek Sandpiper), Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel)

Location: Miyagi Prefecture

Coordinates (lat, long): 38.61667, 140.95000

Area: 34.0 ha

Date of joining: 22 January 2010

Protection status: National Wildlife Protection Area

Other listings: Ramsar Site, Important Bird and Biodiversity Area

Important for Anatidae

Important species:

Anser albifrons (Greater White-fronted Goose), Anser fabalis serrirostris (Thick-billed Bean Goose), Anas formosa (Baikal Teal), Branta bernicla orientalis (Brent Goose), Branta canadensis leucopareia (Canada Goose)

Location: Hokkaido Prefecture

Coordinates (lat, long): 43.29722, 145.35556

Area: 6139.0 ha

Date of joining: 4 October 2010

Protection status: National Wildlife Protection Area

Other listings: Ramsar Site, Important Bird and Biodiversity Area

Important for Shorebirds, Anatidae, Cranes, and Others

Important species:

Charadrius mongolus (Mongolian Plover), Heteroscelus brevipes (Grey-tailed Tattler), Arenaria interpres (Ruddy Turnstone), Calidris pygmaea (Spoon-billed Sandpiper), Cygnus cygnus (Whooper Swan), Anser fabalis serrirostris (Tundra Bean Goose), Branta bernicla (Black Brant), Anas penelope (Eurasian Wigeon), Anas falcata (Falcated Duck), Anas acuta (Northern Pintail), Aythya marila (Greater Scaup), Mergus serrator (Red-breasted Merganser), Grus japonensis (Red-crowned Crane), Podiceps nigricollis (Black-necked Grebe)

Location: Arao City

Coordinates (lat, long): 32.963015, 130.430099

Area: 32.96784 ha

Date of joining: 21 February 2013

Protection status: Special Protection Area of National Wildlife Protection

Other listings: Ramsar Site

Important for Shorebirds, and Others

Important species:

Arenaria interpres (Ruddy Turnstone), Calidris alpina (Dunlin), Heteroscelus brevipes (Grey-tailed Tattler), Xenus cinereus (Terek Sandpiper), Limosa lapponica (Bar-tailed Godwit), Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel), Charadrius mongolus (Lesser Sand Plover), Pluvialis squatarola (Grey Plover), Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover), Platalea minor (Black-faced Spoonbill), Saundersilarus saundersi (Saunders's Gull)

Location: East part of Hokkaido Island

Coordinates (lat, long): 43.34000, 145.16000

Area: 6053.0 ha

Date of joining: 11 December 2014

Protection status: Protected Area

Other listings: Ramsar Site, Important Bird and Biodiversity Area

Important for Shorebirds, Anatidae, Cranes, and Others

Important species:

Arenaria interpres (Ruddy Turnstone), Heteroscelus brevipes (Grey-tailed Tattler), Charadrius mongolus stegmanni (Mongolian Plover), Cygnus cygnus (Whooper Swan), Branta bernicla (Brant Goose), Aythya marila (Greater Scaup), Grus japonensis (Red-crowned Crane)

Click Here to Download FNS Cards in Flickr

Location: the north shore of the Ariake Bay

Coordinates (lat, long): 33.17499, 130.25000

Area: 218ha

Date of joining: 5 May 2016

Protection status: Special Protection Area

Other listings: Ramsar Site

Important for shorebirds

Important species:

Tringa guttifer (Spotted Greenshank), Saundersilarus saundersi (Saunders’s Gull), Calidris pygmeus (Spoon-billed Sandpiper), Numenius madagascariensis (Far Eastern Curlew), Platalea minor (Black-faced Spoonbill), Pluvialis squatarola (Grey Plover), Calidris alpina (Dunlin), Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover), Limosa lapponica (Bar-tailed Godwit), Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel), Tadorna tadorna (Common Shelduck), Tringa nebularia (Common Greenshank), Xenus cinereus (Terek Sandpiper), Calidris ruficollis (Red-necked Stint), Calidris tenuirostris (Great Knot)

For pages and posts on the EAAFP site related to Japan follow search: Japan

Promotional Materials/Websites
- Poster of Flyway Network Sites in Japan produced by The Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan

- EAAFP Brochure (in Japanese, 2020 version)

- BirdLife International Wetlands Pamphlet (English, Japanese)
- BirdLife International Tokyo video seminar "Stories of Migratory Birds and Wetlands" (Japanese)

- Online Environmental Magazine of Japan "Ecojin"( Japanese )

Japan

Summary

Flyway Network Sites

Site Information

Site Details

Akkeshi-ko & Bekambeushi-shitsugen

Izumi (formerly named "Arasaki")

Kiritappu Marsh

Kushiro-shitsugen

Yashiro

Biwa-ko

Biwase-wan

Fukushimagata

Hyouko-suikin-koen

Kabukuri-numa

Katano Kamoike

Kutcharo-ko

Manko Tidal Flats

Miyajima-numa

Otomo-numa

Sakata

Shiroishi-gawa

Yatsu Tidal Flats

Yonago-Mizudori-Koen

Yoshino Estuary

Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park

Kashima Shingomori

Utonai-ko

Osaka Nankou Bird Sanctuary

Fujimae-Higata

Kumagawa Estuary

Hachirogata-Kantakuchi

Kejo-numa

Furen-ko and Shunkuni-tai

Arao-higata

Izu-numa and Uchi-numa

Notsuke-hanto and Notsuke-wan

Higashiyoka-higata

Sarobetsu Wetland

Resources

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