[5] This salamander was first catalogued by Europeans when the resident physician of Dejima Island in Nagasaki, Philipp Franz von Siebold, captured an individual and shipped it back to Leiden in the Netherlands, in the 1820s.

[10] A. japonicus possesses large skin folds on its neck that effectively increase its overall body surface area.

The Japanese giant salamander occurs in southwestern Japan (west of Gifu Prefecture in Honshu and parts of Shikoku and Kyushu).

In particular, Okayama, Hyogo, Shimane, Tottori, Yamaguchi, Mie, Ehime, Gifu, and Ōita Prefectures are known to harbor its robust populations.

[14] The Japanese giant salamander occurs in freshwater habitats ranging from relatively large river (20–50 m) to small headwater streams (0.5 - 4 m).

It has very poor eyesight, and possesses special sensory cells covering its skin, running from head to toe, the lateral line system.

During the mating season, typically in late August and early September, sexually mature males start actively finding suitable nesting sites and often migrate upstream into smaller sections of the river or its tributaries.

He provides parental care for the embryos by guarding the eggs and fanning water over them with his tail to increase oxygen flow.

[24] Researchers also observed that den masters consumed eggs and larvae that showed the sign of failed fertilization, death, or water mold infection.

The Japanese giant salamander is threatened by pollution, habitat loss (among other changes, by the silting up of the rivers where it lives), dams and concrete banks, and invasive species.

[15][16][25][1] In particular, it is important to note that the construction of concrete streambanks and agricultural dams throughout the distribution range has imposed a significant negative impact on giant salamanders.

[25] It has been suggested that although the details are not known, the Chinese giant salamanders imported for food to Japan in 1972 were the sources of the ongoing introgressive hybridization.

[27][28] In Kamo River in Kyoto Prefecture, the study conducted from 2011 to 2013 found that 95% of the captured giant salamanders were hybrids.

The Japanese Giant Salamander Society also organizes annual meetings to promote the conservation education and information sharing about the species.

[1] The Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park of Japan was the first domestic organization to successfully breed Japanese giant salamanders in captivity.

[35] Although Asa Zoological Park has not released any offspring to streams, it has a capacity to carry out a headstarting program if needed.

The Japanese giant salamander has been the subject of legend and artwork in Japan, for example, in the ukiyo-e work by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

[36][better source needed] There is a giant salamander festival every year on August 8 in Yubara, Maniwa City, Okayama prefecture to honour the animal and celebrate its life.