The Clay Science Society of Japan is an academic organization established for basic and applied research on clay and clay-based materials, dissemination of the research results, and promotion of communication among members and non-members inside and outside Japan. Clay is one of the materials familiar to us, as it is widely present on the surface layer (i.e. the crust) of our planet Earth. The relationship between clay and humans goes back a long way. A few thousand years ago, our ancestors used clay for pottery or sun-dried bricks. Today clay is used in various fields as a basic material for industries such as ceramics, papermaking, plastics, nuclear power, civil engineering, construction, agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. It is also being applied to nanocomposites, optical recording materials, thin-film materials, catalysts, and other fields as part of advanced industrial materials. Clay thus has many applications in varying fields; needless to say, this is because of its varying characteristics as an inorganic polymer. On the other hand, clay is deeply related to the birth of life and the global environment as one of the essential materials that constitute the Earth’s system, and it is attracting a large amount of attention as a key material that is helping to unravel the billions of years of Earth’s history. The CSSJ is Japan’s only academic organization that comprehensively handles a wide range of clay research, from basic to applied, and it enjoys a high reputation inside and outside Japan. Committed to being an active academic society, we are always looking for the most appropriate way we can serve society to match the demands of the times, which are changing with the remarkable progress being made in science and technology. Our hope is that as many people as possible will come to understand our roles and commitment and will join our society.
Activities of the CSSJ
Journals of the CSSJ: Nendo Kagaku, a Japanese journal published three times a year, and Clay Science, a quarterly journal in English.
Forum：Once a year (general agenda include research presentations, symposiums, lectures and general assemblies).
Field Trip: Once a year in principle.
CSSJ Members
Clay is one of the important materials that constitute the Earth and is also an important industrial resource that supports life. It also serves many purposes as a material that conserves the global environment. Thus clay has a deep relationship with the birth of life on Earth. Considering this, it stands to reason that members of the CSSJ come from a variety of fields, including:
1) Earth Sciences
2) Resources and Materials
3) Chemistry and Physics
4) Soils, Fertilizers, Agriculture, and Forestry
5) Construction and Civil Engineering
6) Environments and New Frontier
Including student members, the membership of the CSSJ has reached 300. Members come from varying fields, including the university faculties of science, engineering, and agriculture, national and prefectural research institutes, research facilities of private manufacturers, and private companies in the resources, construction, and civil engineering fields. What is noteworthy today is the active research being conducted by student members and young research members. These CSSJ members conduct research in a great variety of fields on clay and clay-related materials, and they are giving us new research techniques and results that have never before been achieved.
