The present invention provides: a graphite material which is suitable as an electrode material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries; a method for producing the graphite material; a carbon material for battery electrodes; and an excellent secondary battery which has an extremely small irreversible capacity,while maintaining charge/discharge cycle characteristics, large-current load characteristics and discharge capacity at high levels. A graphite material, wherein the oxygen amount (a) (mass%) in the region from the particle surface to 40 nm in the depth direction is within the range of 0.010<= a <= 0.04 as determined by the peak intensity of O1s obtained by HAX-PES measurement using a hard X-ray of 7,940 eV, can be used as a carbon material for battery electrodes that have excellent initial efficiency and small irreversible capacity, while maintaining large-current load characteristics, cycle characteristics and discharge capacity at high levels.