These tropical forests have been seriously and, in some cases, permanently damaged by logging companies. There are few signs that the destructive harvesting of the forests in this region will slow in the near future. As in other regions, the tropical forest in South-East Asia has fallen victim to population pressures and the concomitant demand for fuel and arable land. Japanese demand for wood products has grown rapidly since the 1950s and so have the country's timber imports. As in many sectors of Japan's economy, there are insufficient domestic resources to meet the demand.
Imports now make up more than two thirds of Japan's wood supplies.
The report describes the environmental degradation caused by commercial logging and criticizes Japanese foreign aid policies and corporate practices for contributing to this process. The tropical hardwoods from this region are desirable for their density, workability and aesthetic quality. Several European countries and the United States import them for use in furniture, panelling and other decorative purposes. A major portion of the Japanese tropical timber imports is used for plywood in construction. Builders use plywood sheets an average of only 2.75 times before they discard them.