A badger native to Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and nearby parts of Japan. Thick, long foreclaws help it dig dens in the ground.
Well-developed foreclaws allow it to dig even firm ground.
Japanese badgers observed in Kagoshima City shared a winter sett while alternating between several days with outings and periods when no outings were recorded. The changes were synchronized between two identifiable animals. Even during winter, they sometimes appeared outside for short periods at night.
A 2018 paper described camera monitoring from December 2016 to March 2017 at three locations in a mosaic of woodland and fields. Researchers distinguished the two animals by body size and facial markings, combining images from a sett entrance and animal paths to identify days with outside activity. Consecutive images of the same individual within three minutes were counted as one photographic event.
The cameras recorded activity even at roughly zero to three degrees Celsius, whereas some nights above ten degrees produced no outside sightings. Outings declined in late December, and sustained activity increased in early March. The authors suggested that day length, as well as temperature, could help explain seasonal changes.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
A 2018 analysis of road-patrol records and capture statistics from Kagoshima Prefecture reported increases in roadkill records and captures in some areas. Road data covered parts of the prefecture during fiscal years 2008–2016. The authors called for attention to the effects of captures on abundance and avoidance of excessive capture pressure, alongside addressing crop damage. They recommended establishing methods for estimating abundance and maintaining population monitoring.