To clarify the current situation and social roles and to understand the characteristics and challenges of botanical gardens in Japan, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 175 botanical garden-related facilities in Japan and 71% responded. These were members of the Japan Association of Botanical Gardens, which is the only botanical garden organization in Japan. Many botanical garden-related facilities in Japan are small in terms of area and operating budget and the collection management system is insufficient. Additionally, multiple problems such as aging facilities and personnel and budget shortages are often encountered. The comparison of three types of facilities, such as private, public and school gardens, showed different roles. Education was the most common role in all three types, although school gardens also had a research role, public gardens had a recreational role, and private gardens had an exhibition and sightseeing role. In particular, there was a lot of support for horticultural and civic activities in public gardens. Diverse social roles of Japanese botanical garden-related facilities were identified, such as biodiversity conservation, environmental issues, and social inclusion. However, additional funds, strengthening cooperation and expansion of the network will be necessary for the future growth of botanical gardens in Japan.

A quantitative survey focusing on the geographical distribution of botanical gardens in Japan was conducted to clarify the changes and factors evident between the Meiji to the Heisei era（1868-2019）. 216 botanical garden-related facilities were surveyed, these were members of the Japan Association of Botanical Gardens, which is the only botanical garden organization in Japan. The distribution range of botanical gardens in Japan more than doubled after World War II and about 90% of the prefectures had botanical gardens in 2005. A comparison of the transition of the geographical distribution of three types of establishers, school, public, and private, indicated a difference in each category. The number of school gardens and public gardens was strongly correlated with population. The change in the distribution area of private gardens was thought to be due to the impact of tourism demand. Botanical gardens in Japan were established mainly in the Kanto and Kinki regions until the end of World War II and established in all regions after the war. Differences in changes in the number of botanical gardens by region were thought to be due to urban development, population growth and urban greening in urban areas, and tourism promotion and transportation development in rural areas.