Japan is targeting higher timber production, greater domestic use and improved mill productivity by 2030.
Japan is aiming to increase domestic construction wood use by 2030 as the government seeks to strengthen local timber supply and reduce reliance on imports.
Under its new Forest and Forestry Basic Plan, domestic construction wood use is targeted to reach 23 million cubic m in 2030, up from 18 million cubic m in 2024. The target rises further to 26 million cubic m by 2035.
The plan also sets a target for total domestic wood supply of 40 million cubic m in 2030 and 42 million cubic m in 2035, compared with 35 million cubic m in 2024, according to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Japan expects total wood demand to reach 85 million cubic m in both 2030 and 2035, slightly below the previous plan’s forecast of 87 million cubic m for 2025.
The push to expand domestic use comes as softwood log imports continue to decline. Between Jan and Jun 2026, imports fell 7.5% year on year to 826,000 cubic m, while their value dropped 10.3% to $197m. The average import price also fell 3% to $238.50 per cubic m.
Within the construction sector, domestic sawlog use for lumber is expected to rise from 14 million cubic m in 2024 to 18 million cubic m in 2030 and 20 million cubic m by 2035. Domestic plywood use is targeted at 5 million cubic m in 2030 and 6 million cubic m in 2035, compared with 4 million cubic m in 2024.
Non-construction domestic wood use is expected to remain at 17 million cubic m in both 2030 and 2035. Pulp and chipwood use is targeted at 4 million cubic m, while fuelwood use is projected to increase from 12 million cubic m in 2024 to 13 million cubic m in 2030, where it is expected to remain through 2035.
The government also plans to increase domestic roundwood deliveries to sawmills and plywood mills from 16 million cubic m in 2024 to 21 million cubic m in 2030. Mill productivity is targeted to rise from 600 cubic m per worker per year in 2023 to 800 cubic m by 2030.
Housing is another focus. The plan calls for domestic wood to account for 60% of housing use by 2030, up from 50% in 2024. Overall domestic construction wood use is expected to reach 23 million cubic m, representing a 70% domestic share, supported by greater use of timber in non-residential and mid- and high-rise buildings.
To support the targets, Japan plans to expand forest aggregation and consolidation for forestry operators to 2.1 million hectares by 2030, from 1.6 million hectares in 2023. This represents an increase of about 31%.
The plan also proposes designating two-thirds of planted forests as areas suitable for forestry. Measures include consolidating forest holdings, improving forest roads, reforestation and wider use of remote sensing, artificial intelligence and other technologies to strengthen the domestic timber supply chain.
Source: Lesprom
