Japan embroiled in timber import predicament

Some environmental groups say Japan is a major force in the destruction of the world's forests

From Gary Strieker
CNN

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- As the biggest importer of timber in the international market, Japan has been criticized as a major force in the destruction of the world's forests. But the rules of international trade may leave Japan with few choices.

Japan has just 2 percent of the world's population but its huge market for wood products is second only to the United States.

The country imports more than 33 percent of internationally traded wood products, a level of consumption some describe as wasteful and excessive, marking Japan as the greatest contributor to global deforestation.

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"What Japan should be doing right now is reducing consumption and implementing policies to make sure the consumption that does take place is sustainable, and that forest products that it imports come from sustainable sources," said Paige Fischer of Pacific Environment, a California-based conservation group dedicated to protecting endangered ecosystems around the Pacific Rim.

Japan's massive timber imports were triggered more than 30 years ago by tariff reductions and explosive economic growth. Its enormous demand drove sweeping logging operations through tropical rainforests in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

But mounting criticism has persuaded some local governments in Japan to limit the use of tropical timber in public construction. Consequently tropical imports have been reduced, replaced by timber from temperate forests in North and South America, Russia and Australia.

Many Japanese consumers consider these wood products "environmentally friendly" because they are not from tropical rainforests. But conservationists say logging for timber in old-growth forests outside the tropics is equally destructive.

"It's quite shocking for the Japanese consumers because they never expect the timbers they're using are destroying the ancient forests outside of Japan," said Mikiko Fukuda, a forest campaigner for Greenpeace Japan.

There is wide support among political leaders for a policy favoring wood products from Japanese forests and for some limits on cheap timber imports.

But Japan's trading partners, including the United States, say their access to the Japanese market is protected under the rules of the World Trade Organization.

"They can't have it both ways. If they want the U.S. or Canada or any other country around the world to buy their electronic products or their cars or whatever, it has to be a two-way street," said Charles Barnes of the Engineered Wood Association, a major trade group pressing for more access to the Japanese market.

So while Japan might be willing to find ways to reduce its timber imports, it might be impossible to do that, considering increasing pressure from its trading partners and restrictions imposed by the WTO.

Such restrictions, now being negotiated, would eliminate remaining barriers to global timber trade and open the Japanese market to an even greater volume of timber imports.

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Pacific Environment
Greenpeace International
Engineered Wood Association

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