FAQ
About the organization
Reason for establishment
In recent years, the possibility that wooden buildings will increase in neighboring countries such as China and South Korea has increased owing to higher income, etc., and it is also expected that the demand for wood as a material for interior finishing will keep rising steadily. As domestic wooden resources in these countries are still in the growing phase, it is very meaningful to engage in activities for opening up the market, such as advertising the comfort of living in wooden houses made of Japanese cedar and hinoki cypress, unique to our country.
Some prefectures and enterprises have already taken proactive action for exporting not only logs, but also materials for wooden houses (such as materials for interior finishing). Therefore, time has come for supporting this momentum further and aiming for a shift from a major wood-importing country to a country that also engages in export of domestically produced lumber.
In countries that export wood, such as the U.S., Canada and New Zealand, the government and the private sector joined hands to research the markets in Asian countries. However, Japan has accumulated little information and know-how concerning export destinations. As a result, enterprises interested in export of wood are reluctant to proactively forge ahead with opening up the market.
In order to create a foundation for the business of exporting wood from our country, it is indispensable to grasp the situation of usage, distribution form, business customs, culture of living, needs from consumers, etc. concerning wood products in China, South Korea and other countries. However, the financial and technological burdens of such research are too much for a single enterprise or group. This is why we believed that there is a need for a specialized organization that will support local municipalities, groups, enterprises, etc. interested in export of wood (lumber produced in Japan) across the country, and we established this association that gathers such groups and enterprises as members and arranges conditions for realizing business transactions by these members. Our association was founded on March 30, 2004 as Japan Wood Products Export Council with Naoto Ando (Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo) appointed as Chairperson.
Overview of the organization
| Group name | Japan Wood Products Export Association |
|---|---|
| Founded on | January 26, 2011 (the predecessor organization was Japan Wood Products Export Council, which was founded in March 2004) |
| Objective | Our objective is to promote the export of lumber produced in Japan (logs, processed products, materials for wooden houses, etc. produced in Japan). |
| Chairperson | Hisao Yamada |
| Deputy Chairpersons | Atsuhiro Inoue, Hiroshi Tomiyama, Kazuyuki Fuchigami, Koji Hongo |
| Managing Director | Daisuke Yoshino |
| Directors | 19 |
| Auditors | 2 |
| Projects |
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| Phone | 03-5844-6275 |
| FAX | 03-3816-5062 |
| Address | 4th floor of Rinyu Bldg., 1-7-12 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0004 |
Initiatives
Since our association was established, we have promoted the export of wooden materials made in Japan (lumber, processed products, materials for wooden houses, etc.) to overseas emerging markets, especially in China and South Korea, where demand is growing significantly, as it would contribute to the exertion of forest functions for the public interest, such as environmental conservation, the effective use of regional resources, the vitalization of regional economies, forests, and forestry, etc.
In accordance with the “Policy for Expanding the Export of Forestry Products,” which was set through discussions in the Forestry Product Subcommittee of the Export Strategy Execution Committee established under the Japan’s National Council for Export Promotion of Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Products and Processed Foods, our association became a group for coordinating the export of forestry products for the purpose of developing the Japan Brand in 2015. Then, our association will establish systems for cooperation among production sites in Japan and local cooperation in export markets, conduct surveys for grasping new demand for export, and tackle issues regarding the public relations and export of wooden-frame housing, while deepening the understanding of municipalities, related groups, business operators, and others and enlisting their cooperation, by utilizing the supportive measures of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Forestry Agency, and JETRO, and make systematic efforts to establish the Japan Brand outside Japan and export more wooden products made in Japan. Furthermore, our association was certified as a Certified Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Products and Food Export Promotion Organization specialized in lumber and plywood based on the Act on Facilitating the Export of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishery Products and Food in 2022, and engages in initiatives for enhancing the capacity to export wooden products made in Japan.
Exhibition of model houses
In order to rouse interest in Japanese wood products and technologies, we have constructed model houses along with our member enterprises, etc. in Shanghai City, Dalian City, etc. in China. There has been a positive response to the high quality and performance of wooden materials made of Japanese cedar or hinoki cypress, the framework method, etc. at these sites, garnering favorable reviews.
Display at overseas exhibitions
We call attention to the high levels of safety, health and comfort stemming from the use of Japanese wood products at overseas exhibitions. Exhibitions by our member enterprises generate business chances.
Organization of conferences in Japan
We organize conferences on export of wood throughout Japan. We report on the challenges and the current situation concerning the encouragement of export together with prefectures and neighborhood member enterprises and discuss measures to solve the challenges.
Organization of seminars and technological training sessions
We introduce advanced examples of wood export. We also hold seminars to introduce the quality and performance of Japanese wood products and initiatives of our member enterprises, and organize technological training sessions for explaining the technologies and methods for using Japanese wood products abroad, such as in China and South Korea. In such a way, we encourage the expansion of business transactions and usage of Japanese wood products.
Organization of conferences in Japan
We cooperate with overseas government officials and industry-related groups to expand export of Japanese wood products. We were involved in the revision to “The National Standard for Wooden Structure Design” in China, and then Japanese cedar, hinoki cypress and Japanese larch have been used as structural materials since 2016.
Collection and dissemination of information
We compile information concerning export in Japan and overseas, especially authentic information from the actual country, and promptly distribute it to our members.
Guide for joining our association
Our association considers that all of related people in Japan need to join hands for facilitating export, while involving a broad range of personnel of local governments, the industry related to lumber, etc. We hope that you will join our association after checking the purposes of establishment of our association, our initiatives, benefits for members, etc.