この30年間における日本の木材工業の趨勢(I)

This is the first of two parts of an article dealing with the Japanese wood industry during 30 years. The first part, after an introductory overview, discusses the wood industry in relation to other industries, trends in wood demand, sources and kinds of imported woods. The second concluding part deals with theJapanese wood industries, such as sawmill, wood furniture, chipmills, plywood,pulp and paper, laminated wood, flooring mills and wood industry industrial parks.
Japan demands on imports to fill two-thirds of its demand for wood. The main suppliers are Southeast Asia, North America, Siberia, and New Zealand. Since wood consumption is high because of extensive use of wood in building construction, this becomes a major factor on the world market for wood.