<Nature and Our Future: The Mekong Basin and Japan>

4. Transformation of Nature in Japanand Initiatives for its Restoration
4-1. Japan: A Forest-Rich Nation Buying Up Global Timber
One of the World’s Most-Forested Countries
Although Japan is often seen as an urbanized, industrial powerhouse, the nation in fact boasts an
extremely high level of forest coverage. Of the nation’s total area of 37.79 million hectares, 25.1
million hectares or 66.4% is covered by forest, making Japan the third most-forested developed
country behind only Finland and Sweden (Forestry Agency 2012). Compared with the 30% global
average forest coverage rate, Japan’s forest coverage is clearly extremely high.

先進国の森林率％
80706050403020100Figure 1: Forest Area Percentage among Industrialized Countries (based on FAO 2010)(left to right) Finland, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, Slovakia,Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic

An island nation surrounded by ocean, Japan is a mountainous land with steep terrain. Coupledwith abundant rain and humidity, this results in conditions conducive to forest growth almost all
around the nation. Japan is a narrow country running more than 4,000 km north to south with diverse
climatic conditions. To the far south is Okinawa, near Taiwan with a subtropical climate; in the northis Hokkaido, near Siberia with a subarctic climate. As a result, natural forests in Japan range fromsubtropical forests including mangroves, to temperate evergreen broadleaf forests, cold temperate
deciduous forests, and subarctic coniferous forests. Japan is host to very diverse natural vegetation, somuch so that Japan is said to be a biodiversity hot spot. However, today 10 million hectares, or up to40% of the nation’s forest area, is made up of man-made conifer forests. This has been caused, as will
be described later, by the planting of limited types of conifer species deemed to be of economic value
and funded with the help of government subsidies.
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A man-made forest on the left compared to a natural forest on the right.

Role of Local Satoyama in Supporting Agriculture and Livelihoods
In Japan, the mountains and hills that provide for agriculture and underpin people’s lives in nearby
communities are called satoyama. These satoyama have played an important role in Japanese
agriculture and in supporting people’s daily lives.
Although modernization has reached a fairly advanced stage in Japan, it was not uncommon evenin recent years to see people, especially in agricultural areas, using various satoyama resources inagriculture and in their lives. For example, satoyama supplied many resources that helped in many
areas: coal and wood used for cooking, heating bathwater, and heating homes; natural fertilizer forfarming; food for farm animals; materials for agriculture and construction; a wealth of mountainvegetables and mushrooms; nuts and fruits including chestnuts, walnuts, and mountain grapes eaten as
food; and herbs used for medicinal purposes. Wildlife and insects including boar, deer, pheasants, andbee larvae occupied very important positions as food sources in mountain villages. This way of using
forests was common across Asia, and Japan was no exception until some 40 or 50 years ago. Trees
from satoyama were consistently and sustainably used and this use was well planned. Some trees
were selectively preserved, and new trees were planted as needed. As such, satoyama were more likesecondary forests that were created in accordance and in harmony with the local climate, rather thanvirgin forests or monoculture plantations.
The role of satoyama began to change drastically in the 1960s, due to the modernization of agriculture
and lifestyle as well as changes in fuel usage. People started to depend more on fossil fuels andcommercial fertilizers imported from overseas for agriculture. Consequently, forests were used less asa source of natural resources. People’s way of life changed also. Many farmers left their farms to joincompanies and work for wages. With fewer people using these satoyama forests as sources of natural
resources for agriculture and to support them in their daily lives, the role of satoyama rapidly changed.

Rapid Proliferation of Man-Made Forests
In the 1960s, as satoyama lost their agricultural value, the Japanese government threw its weightbehind policies to expand afforestation nationwide. At that time, there was a shortage of lumber due
to the overharvesting of lumber during World War II. This scarcity drove up prices as demand surged
in conjunction with the construction accompanying Japan’s economic growth. Swathes of natural<4-1>
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forests filled with non-uniform trees deemed unsuitable for construction were cleared. In their place
were planted more construction-friendly varieties of trees, such as conifer trees including cypress andcedar. The government also provided financial aid for planting these coniferous forests. During thisperiod, the number of man-made forests increased by 30% in only 20 years, with their area reaching
10 million hectares. This was accompanied by a 15% drop in natural forest coverage area. In this way,satoyama that no longer fulfilled its original role of supporting local agriculture was replaced by theplanting of cypress and cedar trees with expectations that these would have economic value in thefuture.

Domestic Timber Prices Fall and Forests are Devastated after Lifting theBan on Foreign Timber Imports
To meet the high timber demand in Japan, the Japanese government lifted the ban on importing
foreign timber in 1964 while at the same time using subsidies for conifer trees to promote its policyof increased afforestation. Massive quantities of foreign timber began to be imported into Japan asa stable yet low-cost resource, and domestic timber prices soared. Coupled with the rise in the valueof the yen, Japan’s timber self-sufficiency plunged to 31% in 1980 before falling to around 20% in
1990—all of this from a level of around 95% in 1955. The cheap imported materials kept lowering
the prices of domestic timber from 1980 onward, and discouraged many owners of planted forests ofJapanese cedar and cypress from managing and expanding their businesses.
日本の木材需要と木材自給率の推移
千㎥
120,000

100.0
90.0

100,00080.0
70.0

80,00060.0
50.0

60,000

国産材
輸入材
自給率

40.0
40,00030.0
20.0

20,00010.0
0.0005201020052000199519901985198019751971961960

19601965197019751980198519901995200020052010

Figure 2: Change in domestic timber self-sufficiency (Unit: 1,000m3)
Red: domestic lumber
Blue: imported lumber
Green: self-sufficiency ratio

Natural forests can be left unattended without falling out of balance. Planted man-made forests,
however, require ongoing maintenance and management as brush needs to be cleared and branches
cut, especially when the forests are high-density, monoculture forests. Owners of man-made forests
who were discouraged by the depreciating value of their timber, generally neglected to care for theirforests after receiving subsidies from the government for only the initial planting process. As a result,forest owners’ eagerness to engage in forestry was sapped by slumping prices, and they planted<4-1>
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forests seeking subsidies. But because they failed to follow through and manage them, man-madeforests have been abandoned nationwide. This situation created areas of densely packed thin trees ofsimilar height, which further contributed to lower timber prices. In addition, these weaker trees weresusceptible to volatile weather such as typhoons and heavy rains, contributing to disasters such as
landslides and forest damage.

Bringing Back the Forgotten Roles of Mountains
Japan is a nation blessed with abundant rain and there is a proverb that says, “The fields andmountains will take care of themselves.” In a place like Japan with a wealth of precipitation, theclimatic conditions are such that, left to their own devices, natural forests will sprout. Indeed, Japanis incredibly fortunate to have such a robust environment. Natural forests can grow and maintainthemselves; they can also host a rich array of biodiversity. Fundamentally, the government lifting its
ban on foreign timber coupled with its policy of forest expansion led to clearing of natural forests andincreased the nationwide spread of planted monoculture conifer forests. This is what caused domestic
timber prices to tank. As a result, many artificial, planted forests fell into a state of disrepair. They
were ravaged by a lack of attention and contributed to natural disasters. Both the forest owners aswell as the government, which invested in planting these forests, were left in debt. Until 1996, thegovernment provided financial aid to forest owners to encourage the planting of conifer trees as partof its forest-development policy. These subsidies also promoted the planting of artificial forests ininappropriate areas such as on steep inclines and at high altitudes.
In recent years, the value of forests has been revisited. Increasingly, they are valued not only interms of their economic worth, but from many perspectives including disaster prevention and water
regulation, biodiversity conservation and recreational usage. When it comes to assessing forest value
across these many facets natural forests are generally highly regarded and man-made forests regarded
as inferior. In short, the national afforestation efforts and the flood of imported foreign timber
destroyed the economic value of Japanese forests and led to much land being replaced with artificial
forests that have minimal value in terms of biodiversity.

Japan: A Leading Importer of Timber
When speaking with people from overseas, they sometimes ask why Japan does not harvest its ownforests and if the reason Japan imports timber from other countries is to preserve its own forests. In
reality, the Japanese government, in particular the Forestry Agency, would like to see greater use ofdomestic timber and has in fact been formulating strategies to encourage the use of domestic timber.
However, most of the natural forests that would have been able to provide a significant volume oftimber are now gone while the man-made forests that were planted at immense cost and effort are now
largely abandoned and in a dilapidated and ruinous state. As the planted forests are predominantly
cypress and cedar, the potential uses for timber from these forests are very limited. Also, the steep
terrain of these forests makes it very costly to transport timber in Japan making it difficult for forest
owners to turn a profit as timber prices continue to fall.
Industries such as the construction and furniture industries that use much timber already depend
on imported foreign timber, as this offers greater choice at lower cost. Although Japan is a heavily
forested country with a high ratio of planted forest, it can only satisfy just less than 30% of domestic
timber demand with wood from domestic forests. This is certainly an improvement over past figures<4-1>
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<Nature and Our Future: The Mekong Basin and Japan>of 20%, but it does not appear likely that Japan will be able to achieve the government’s stated goalof 50% self-sufficiency any time soon. One thing that might help the situation is for Japan to adopt
legislation akin to that in the European Union, United States and Australia that bans the import ofillegally harvested timber. Getting rid of illegally harvested timber or even timber that is possibly
illegally harvested could serve to increase domestic timber prices and support the domestic forestry
industry. As a country that is a heavy importer of timber, this is an issue that needs to be addressedanyway. As both the government and the forestry industry are usually skeptical of new ideas,
however, they are very slow to take action and implement legal and regulatory changes.

Toward Forestry and Forest Conservation Independent of Plantation Forests
In the definition expounded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there is no distinction
made between man-made planted forests and natural forests. According to the FAO, China’s forested
areas have increased in the recent years, but this is because of increased plantation forests. These
new forests are often plantations mainly for paper manufacturing and timber. As such, they cannot
be expected to yield much in terms of biodiversity. Since there is a vast difference in terms ofboth content and function when comparing planted and natural forests, the two should be regarded
separately. Natural forests and planted forests are similar in some respects yet very different whenit comes to ecology and use by residents. This is something that must not be forgotten. In addition,
an increase in planted forests alone will be incapable of supporting existing ecosystems or even thediverse needs of people.
Along the Mekong River, many natural forests have been converted into rubber, eucalyptus andpalm oil monoculture plantations. In Japan, 58% of the forests are privately owned with the rights
retained by residents. However, most of the forests in Southeast Asia are owned by the state. Citizens’
rights to use these natural forests are traditionally recognized, but these rights are often lost whenpolicies outlining forest use rights are enacted and forests are transformed into plantations managed
by corporations. This can ignite conflict between the local residents and the governments. It also
exacerbates economic disparity as it further impoverishes the poor who depend on forest resources.
Although people tend to regard tropical forests as something far away, in Japan, we need to rememberthat the products grown and made from timber harvested from tropical plantations, including paper,
palm oil and rubber, in fact support our comfortable lives. It is important that we remind ourselves thatthe everyday necessities upon which we depend come from finite resources, so that we do not waste
them. In addition, it is important to actively maintain and effectively use the existing planted forests
in Japan while searching for methods to minimize our dependence on and lessen the excessive burden
we place upon the natural forests of the world, including tropical forests.
References
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2010. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010. Rome, Italy: FAO.
http://www.fao.org/forestry/fra/fra2010/en/
Forestry Agency (2012) Forestry White Paper.
http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/hakusyo/23hakusyo/

Sayoko Iinuma (Global Environmental Forum)<4-1>
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