Areas protected under the Nature Conservation Law of Japan


The Nature Conservation Law of Japan provides for the designation of three types of protected area: Wilderness Areas and Nature Conservation Areas, by the Minister of the Environment, and Prefectural Nature Conservation Areas, by Prefectural Governors.

Wilderness Areas

As of 31 March 2015, five Wilderness Areas have been designated, with a total area of 56.31 km2.
Wilderness AreaPrefectureMunicipalityArea ImageCoordinates
Onnebetsudake Wilderness Area
Onnebetsu-dake gensei shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		HokkaidōShari, Rausu1,895
Head of River Tokachi Wilderness Area
Tokachi-gawa genryū-bu gensei shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		HokkaidōShintoku1,035
Minami Iwojima Wilderness Area
Minami-Iōjima gensei shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		TokyoOgasawara367
Head of River Ooi Wilderness Area
Ōi-gawa genryū-bu gensei shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		ShizuokaKawanehon1,115
Yakushima Wilderness Area
Yakushima gensei shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		KagoshimaYakushima1,219

Nature Conservation Areas

As of 31 March 2015, ten Nature Conservation Areas have been designated, with a total area of 225.42 km2.
Wilderness AreaPrefectureMunicipalityArea ImageCoordinates
Ōhirayama Nature Conservation Area
Ōhirayama shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		HokkaidōShimamaki674
Shirakami sanchi Nature Conservation Area
Shirakami sanchi shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		Aomori, AkitaAjigasawa, Fukaura, Nishimeya, Fujisato14,043
Wagadake Nature Conservation Area
Wagadake shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		IwateNishiwaga1,451
Hayachine Nature Conservation Area
Hayachine shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		IwateMiyako1,370
Ōsabiyama Nature Conservation Area
Ōsabiyama shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		TochigiNasushiobara545
Head of River Tone Nature Conservation Area
Tone-gawa genryū-bu shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		GunmaMinakami2,318
Sasagamine Nature Conservation Area
Sasagamine shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		Ehime, KōchiNiihama, Saijō, Ino537
Shiragadake Nature Conservation Area
Shiragadake shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		KumamotoAsagiri150
Inaodake Nature Conservation Area
Inaodake shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		KagoshimaKimotsuki, Kinkō, Minamiōsumi377
Sakiyamawan-Amitoriwan Nature Conservation Area
Sakiyamawan・Amitoriwan shizen kankyō hozen chiiki		OkinawaTaketomi1,077

Prefectural Nature Conservation Areas

As of 31 March 2015, five hundred and forty-four Prefectural Nature Conservation Areas have been designated, with a total area of 774.08 km2.
  • Miyazaki: Kashiba・Northern Kamon-dake
  • Kagoshima: Koba-dake・Mangurō
  • Okinawa: Kubura-dake・Urabuta-dake・Higawa-chisaki・Agari-zaki・Tanokuba-yama・Kushi-dake・Koshi-dake・Gayō-zan・Aha-take・Izena-yama・Katsuu-dake - Awa-dake - Mount Yae