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Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) has attracted much attention due to its high nutritional value and medicinal properties. The crop has a long history of cultivation in Japan, and today, it is used mostly for manufacturing soba noodles which are quite popular in Japanese cuisine. Cultivation of common buckwheat in the country decreased gradually until the 1970’s, but has started to increase again in recent years. In this paper, we provide an overview of common buckwheat production in Japan with emphasis on the agronomic characteristics of representative Japanese cultivars and landraces.