A negative electrode for a lithium ion battery, wherein an easily graphitizable carbon having a carbon coating on its surface is contained as a negative electrode active material, a weight of the negative electrode active material heated at 550°C in dry air flow in thermogravimetric analysis is equal to or more than 75% of a weight of the negative electrode active material heated at 25°C therein, a weight of the negative electrode active material heated at 650°C in dry air flow in thermogravimetric analysis is equal to or less than 20% of the weight of the negative electrode active material heated at 25°C therein, the thermogravimetric analysis being performed by sampling a 10 mg specimen and increasing a temperature with the temperature rising rate of 1°C/min under dry air circulation of 300 ml/min while taking alumina as a reference, in the easily graphitizable carbon having a carbon coating on its surface, a median particle diameter on volumetric basis as measured with a laser diffraction particle size distribution meter is from 5 μm to 30 μm, a specific surface area as obtained by a nitrogen adsorption measurement method is from 1.3 m 2 /g to 4.0 m 2 /g, and a carbon dioxide adsorption amount until a relative pressure of 0.03 (at 273 K) is from 0.05 cm 3 /g to 1.5 cm 3 /g, and the easily graphitizable carbon having a carbon coating on its surface is obtained by a method comprising: obtaining an easily graphitizable carbon by calcining a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic resin, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, coal tar, and tar pitch in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of 800°C or more and grinding the calcined material, adhering an organic compound selected from the group consisting of ethylene heavy end pitch, petroleum pitch, coal tar pitch, asphalt degradation pitch, pitch obtained by pyrolyzing polyvinyl chloride, synthetic pitch manufactured by polymerizing naphthalene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyral, starch, and cellulose onto the surface of the easily graphitizable carbon to form a carbon coating, calcining the carbon coating at a temperature of 700 to 1400°C under a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and optionally crushing and grinding the coated and calcined easily graphitizable carbon. obtaining an easily graphitizable carbon by calcining a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic resin, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, coal tar, and tar pitch in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of 800°C or more and grinding the calcined material, adhering an organic compound selected from the group consisting of ethylene heavy end pitch, petroleum pitch, coal tar pitch, asphalt degradation pitch, pitch obtained by pyrolyzing polyvinyl chloride, synthetic pitch manufactured by polymerizing naphthalene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyral, starch, and cellulose onto the surface of the easily graphitizable carbon to form a carbon coating, calcining the carbon coating at a temperature of 700 to 1400°C under a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and optionally crushing and grinding the coated and calcined easily graphitizable carbon.