Catharina Klein
Research expert covering Japan
Forestry industry in Japan - statistics & facts
The Japanese archipelago consists of highly forested islands. Its forest area spans over 25 million hectares, making up around two-thirds of the land area. Despite being densely forested, the Japanese forestry sector is not well developed since most of the island nation is too mountainous and therefore not accessible to produce enough wood. Consequently, Japan is dependent on imports to meet its demand for timber.
However, Japan has been affected by a massive wood shortage that has increased prices since 2021, referred to as wood shock. Lumber and plywood prices have been rising since Russia stopped exporting wood to the island nation in response to Japan’s sanctions. The weaker Japanese yen is another reason for higher wood prices.
Planted forests are aging noticeably across Japan, with more than half now over 50 years old. This makes the forests vulnerable to typhoons and other natural disasters, which can easily uproot the trees. Additionally, as trees age beyond 40 years, their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide emissions begins to decrease, which poses another environmental issue in the country.
Production and consumption of forestry products in Japan
The major products produced by the Japanese forestry sector are wood, mushrooms, and fuelwood. In Japan, wood is used to manufacture various products in the paper industry. In recent years, most of the manufactured paper was used for printing and communication, newsprint, sanitary tissue, packaging, and wrapping material. Furthermore, wood is demanded as a construction material. It represents one of the oldest natural materials used in building construction, and still plays an important role in Japan’s present housing market. The share of wooden structure building starts amounted to over 57 percent in recent years.However, Japan has been affected by a massive wood shortage that has increased prices since 2021, referred to as wood shock. Lumber and plywood prices have been rising since Russia stopped exporting wood to the island nation in response to Japan’s sanctions. The weaker Japanese yen is another reason for higher wood prices.
Japanese forests are aging and in deteriorating condition
Inexpensive timber imports have weakened the competitiveness of the Japanese forestry industry in previous decades. The neglect of forests in Japan has led to the relatively poor conditions seen in the industry today. Usually, forests need to be attended to regularly by thinning out and replanting trees.Planted forests are aging noticeably across Japan, with more than half now over 50 years old. This makes the forests vulnerable to typhoons and other natural disasters, which can easily uproot the trees. Additionally, as trees age beyond 40 years, their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide emissions begins to decrease, which poses another environmental issue in the country.
