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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Japan's Tropical Timber Imports for 1988-1995

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

4/24/96

OVERVIEW & SOURCE by EE

In March, 1996, we passed along the Sarawak Campaign Committee's

(SCC--a Japanese non-governmental organization) compilation of

Japanese tropical timber import figures for 1994. SCC has

recently released an updated report which includes 1994 and 1995

tropical timber import data, as well as cubic meter totals for

tropical logs, sawnwood, plywood and roundwood equivalent (RWE)

for all years from 1988-1995.

SCC draws a number of conclusions. One emergent trend is that

Japan's tropical timber imports are increasingly characterized by

a shift from imported whole logs to imported plywood.

Additionally, "Africa has also become a major supplier of logs to

Japan, but it is unclear when this trend emerged" due to the fact

that African import figures were first available for 1995. In

general, Japanese tropical timber imports continue to trend

downward from the 1980s, though it is unclear to what extent this

is a result of reduced supplies, reduced construction and or use

of temperate rather than tropical forest timbers.

Despite reductions, Japan's 1995 tropical timber import total of

11,695,000 cubic meters is still glutonous; damaging to the

ecological, biological and social fabric of tropical lands, and

clearly unsustainable for long periods. Paper and wood recycling

and reuse, development of wood fiber alternatives and diverse

plantation plantings will be necessary to relieve pressure upon

forest ecosystems; in order to allow fragmented forest landscapes

to recover and move to a more uniform and natural mosaic of early,

mid and late successional stands. The sooner the industrial

democracies get a hold on their forest product over-consumption;

the difficult task of conserving, managing and restoring

vegetational communities will continue for generations in an

effort to mitigate (partially and ineffectively) damage done for

throw away paper products, poorly constructed buildings and other

short thinking and non-sustainable uses. Forest ecosystems are

too valuable for such casual consumption.

g.b.

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/* Written 5:55 AM Apr 25, 1996 by scc in igc:rainfor.genera */

/* ---------- "94-95 Japan Tropical Timber Imports" ---------- */

Japan's Tropical Timber Imports In 1994 & 1995

Compiled by Sarawak Campaign Committee, Japan

(from Mori no Koe Issue # 8)

Japan's tropical timber imports in 1994 and 1995 were

characterized by a continued increase in the proportion of

plywood imports in relation to log imports. Plywood imports from

Malaysia in particular increased dramatically, while tropical log

imports from most regions decreased. Japan's imports of tropical

hardwood logs from all regions except Africa totalled 6.8 million

m3 in 1994 (8.6% decrease from 1993) and 5.9 million m3 in

1995 (12.9% decrease from 1994). Total tropical hardwood log

imports including African timber were 6.5 million m3 in 1995

(African timber import statistics for previous years are not

available.) Imports of tropical plywood from Indonesia and

Malaysia decreased slightly to 3,736,000 m3 in 1994, but reached

an all-time high of 3,988,000 m3 in 1995. Tropical sawnwood

imports decreased 4.5% to 1,297,000 m3 in 1994, and are thought

to have remained about the same in 1995 (Total for Jan. - Nov.

U95: Malaysia 597,493 m3, Indonesia 479,730, all regions

1,252,075 m3). It is difficult to gauge how the shift to plywood

imports has affected Japan's overall consumption of tropical

timber (in terms of raw material), due to the lack of data on the

efficiency of wood use in the wood processing industries of

Indonesia and Malaysia, but it is not thought to have decreased

much. The simple total of all tropical timber imports decreased

5.8% to 11.8 million m3 in 1994, and a further 1.1% to 11.7

million m3 in 1995, but total imports in roundwood equivalents

(calculated using conversion coefficients used by the FAO)

increased slightly in 1995.

Japan's Tropical Timber Imports, 1988-1994 (units: 1000

m3)

Tropical Logs1:

1988 11,655

1989 12,560

1990 11,102

1991 10,115

1992 9,969

1993 7,438

1994 6,802

1995 6,455

Change 1994-1995: -5.1 percent

Tropical Sawnwood2:

1988 1,184

1989 1,736

1990 1,274

1991 1,203

1992 1,197

1993 1,358

1994 1,297

1995 1,252

Change 1994-1995: -3.4 percent

Tropical Plywood3

1988 1,814

1989 3,003

1990 2,763

1991 2,879

1992 2,770

1993 3,774

1994 3,736

1995 3,988

Change 1994-1995: +6.7 percent

Total

1988 14,653

1989 17,299

1990 15,139

1991 14,197

1992 13,936

1993 12,570

1994 11,835

1995 11,695

Change 1994-1995: -1.2 percent

Total in RWE4

1988 17,982

1989 22,626

1990 19,776

1991 18,926

1992 18,519

1993 18,590

1994 17,755

1995 17,906

Change 1994-1995: +0.8 percent

(Compiled by SCC from Nikkan Mokuzai Shimbun, 25 and 27 March

1993; 26 May 1994; 6 February & 8 March 1995; 15 February & 1

March 1996; and Japan Lumber Reports, 2 April 1995. RWE figures

calculated by SCC.)

1) Tropical log import figures prior to 1995 do not include

imports from Africa.

2) Figures given for 1995 tropical sawnwood imports are totals for

Jan. - Nov. U95 from Nihon Nanyozai Kyogikai (Japan South Seas

Timber Council) Jan. U96 Statistics. Figures for other years are

for the full year and are from Nikkan Mokuzai Shimbun.

3) Tropical plywood import figures for 1988-1992 are for imports

from Indonesia only (which constituted more than 95% of total)

whereas figures for 1993 -1995 are for imports from Indonesia and

Malaysia.

4) Roundwood Equivalent (RWE) is a measure of the RunderbarkS log

volume which would have been necessary to obtain one unit of

volume of the processed product. Figures for roundwood (volume)

equivalents have been calculated on the basis of the conversion

coefficients 1.82 for hardwood sawnwood and 2.3 for plywood, used

by the FAO (1991).

Tropical hardwood log imports from Sarawak, Malaysia decreased

9.3% to 4.5 million m3 in 1994 and 12.6% to 3.9 million m3 in

1995. Japan's imports accounted for about 52% of log exports from

Sarawak in 1994.4 Log imports from Papua New Guinea increased

10.1% to 1.9 million m3 in 1994, but then decreased 17.9% to 1.6

million m3 in 1995, whereas those from the Solomon Islands

decreased 2.3% to 338,000 m3 in 1994 but increased 12.8% to

381,000 m3 in 1995. Africa has also become a major supplier of

logs to Japan, but it is unclear when this trend emerged.

Japan's Tropical Hardwood Log Imports 1992-1994 (units:

1000 m3)

Sabah:

1992 2,064

1993 293

1994 0

1995 6

Change 1994-1995: ---

Sarawak

1992 6,363

1993 4,922

1994 4,463

1995 3,902

Change 1994-1995: -12.6 percent

PNG

1992 1,163

1993 1,754

1994 1,932

1995 1,586

Change 1994-1995: -17.9 percent

Solomon Islands

1992 309

1993 346

1994 338

1995 381

Change 1994-1995: +12.8 percent

Laos

1992 13

1993 13

1994 40

1995 30

Change 1994-1995: -25.9 percent

Myanmar

1992 13

1993 76

1994 22

1995 17

Change 1994-1995: -23.0 percent

Other non-Africa

1992 46

1993 30

1994 5

1995 0

Change 1994-1995: -100 percent

Sub-Total

1992 9,969

1993 7,438

1994 6,802

1995 5,924

Change 1994-1995: -12.9 percent

Africa

1995 531

Total including Africa

995 6,455

(Nikkan Mokuzai Shimbun, 15 Feb. 1996; 16 Feb. 1995;

10 Feb. 1994)

Tropical plywood imports from Malaysia increased 34.6% to 508,000

m3 in 1994 and 90.6% to 970,000 m3 in 1995, while those from

Indonesia decreased 6.2% to 3.2 million m3 in 1994, and a further

6.5% to 3.0 million m3 in 1995; plywood imports from these two

countries totalled 90.7% of all (including non-tropical) plywood

imports in 1995. The decrease in plywood imports from Indonesia

is thought to reflect increasing inavailability of raw logs, which

has forced more and more manufacturers to halt production.

Japanese importers have been eager to import Malaysian plywood in

order to diversify sources, even though it is not yet certified

according to JAS (Japan Agricultural Standards) and is thus at a

disadvantage in terms of price and quality compared to JAS-

certified Indonesian plywood. Japanese domestic production of

plywood (which accounted for 87.6% of use of imported tropical

hardwood logs) in 1995 was 4,458,000 m3, accounting for 50.4% (a

4.2 point decrease in share from 1994) of total (domestic and

imported) plywood supply. Plywood imports, which were less than

10% prior to 1985, are expected to exceed domestic production for

the first time ever in 1996. (Nikkan Mokuzai Shimbun, 1

March 1996)

Japan's 1994 & 1995 Plywood Imports (units: 1000 m3)

Indonesia

1994 3,228

1995 3,018

change 1994-1995: -6.5 percent

Malaysia

1994 508

1995 970

change 1994-1995: +90.6 percent

Canada

1994 183

1995 250

change 1994-1995: +36.7 percent

USA

1994 47

1995 52

change 1994-1995: +9.6 percent

New Zealand

1994 31

1995 35

change 1994-1995: +14.1 percent

Taiwan

1994 16

1995 23

change 1994-1995: +43.0 percent

Total (incl. others)

1994 4,045

1995 4,394

change 1994-1995: +8.6 percent

(Nikkan Mokuzai Shimbun, 8 March 1995 and 1 March

1996)

Though the simple total of tropical timber imports decreased

somewhat in 1994 and 1995, this cannot be equated with reduced

environmental and social impact, as logging of steep slopes and

water-catchment areas as well as premature second logging of coups

is feared to be intensifying in the already seriously depleted

forests of Sarawak, Malaysia, while logging in Papua New Guinea

and the Solomon Islands is causing serious violations of

residents' rights. These trends reflect a vast increase in local

wood processing in Sarawak, Malaysia, a ban on log exports from

Sabah, Malaysia since 1993, and capture of a large share of the

Japanese market by the Indonesian and Malaysian plywood

industries.

Sarawak Campaign Committee

For more information, send e-mail or contact below:

Kazuko Matsue

1-9-14 Sanbonmatsu, Yonago-shi,

Tottori-ken, Japan 683

Tel/Fax: 0859-31-0419

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