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Japan
Forest Information and Data
According to the U.N. FAO,
68.5% or about 24,979,000 ha of Japan is forested, according to FAO. Of this 19.0% ( 4,747,000 ) is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. Japan had 10,326,000 ha of planted forest.
Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Japan lost an average of 1,450 ha or 0.01% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Japan gained 0.1% of its forest cover, or around 29,000 ha.
Japan's forests contain - million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Japan has some 919 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 19.3% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 13.2% are threatened. Japan is home to at least 5565 species of vascular plants, of which 35.9% are endemic. 8.4% of Japan is protected under IUCN categories I-V.
The following contains data relating to forest cover in Japan
Previous version of this profile (2009)
SECTIONS:
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Japan: Forest Cover, 2010
| Total Land Area (1000 ha) | 36450 |
| Total Forest Area (1000 ha) | 24979 |
| Percent Forest Cover | 69 |
| Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) | 4747 |
| Primary Forest, % total forest | 19 |
| Other wooded land (1000 ha) | 0 |
| Percent other wooded land | 0 |
Japan: Breakdown of forest types, 2010
| Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 4747 | 19 |
| Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 9906 | 40 |
| Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 10326 | 41 |
Japan: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 24950 | 24876 | 24935 | 24979 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -7 | 12 | 9 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -0.03 | 0.05 | 0.04 | |
Japan: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010
| FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 14663 | 14545 | 14611 | 14653 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -12 | -12 | 11 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -0.1 | -0.08 | 0.07
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Japan: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 3764 | 4054 | 4449 | 4747 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 29 | 79 | 60 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0.74 | 1.88 | 1.31 | |
Japan: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 10287 | 10331 | 10324 | 10326 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 4 | -1 | n.s. | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 0.04 | -0.01 | n.s. | |
Japan: Primary designated function (percent)
| Production | Protection of soil and water | Conservation of biodiversity | Social services | Multiple use | Other | None or unknown |
| 17 | 70 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Japan: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent)
| OWNERSHIP PATTERN |
| Public ownership | Private ownership | Other |
| 41 | 59 | 0 |
| PRIVATE OWNERSHIP |
| Individuals | Business entities and institutions | Local, indigenous and tribal communities |
| 98 | - | - |
| HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS |
| Public administration | Individuals | Business
entities and Institutions | Communities | Other |
| 86 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
Japan: Growing stock in forest
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
Total
(million m3) | Per hectare
(m3) | Coniferous
(million m3) | Broadleaved
(million m3) | % commercial species |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
| Total (million m3) | Per hectare (m3) | Coniferous (million m3) | Broadleaved (million m3) | % commercial species |
| - | - | | | |
Japan: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(million metric tons) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 1159 | 1381 | 1526 | - |
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(per hectare in tons) |
| | | 2000 |
| | | - |
ANNUAL CHANGE
(1 000 t/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 22 | 29 | - |
ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE
(t/ha/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 0.9 | 1.1 | - |
Japan: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005
| FOREST FIRE |
| 1000 ha | % wild fire (not managed burn) |
| 1 | 100 |
| EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE |
| Insects | Diseases | Other biotic agents | Abiotic factors | Total (excluding fire) | % of 2005 forest area |
| n.s. | 1 | 6 | 19 | 26 | n.s. |
Japan: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005
INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 30765 | 18601 | 17803 | 100 |
WOODFUEL
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 365 | 242 | 160 | 100 |
Japan: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005
Value of removals
(million US$) | Value per ha forest
(US$) |
| Industrial roundwood | Woodfuel | NWFP | Total | |
| 1998 | - | 202 | - | - |
Japan: Employment in forestry 1990-2005
TOTAL
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | - |
IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| 108 | 67 | 47 |
IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| - | - | - |
Japan: Forest policy and legal framework 2008
National forest policy (year): Yes (2001)
Sub-national forest policy: Yes
National forest program (year) - status: Yes (2006) In implementation
National forest law (year): Specific forest law (1951)
Sub-national forest law: No
Japan: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008
| 2000 | 2005 | 2008 |
| # | % female | # | % female | # | % female |
| 26227 | - | 20994 | - | 19533 | - |
Japan: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005
| Forest revenue | Public expenditure (1000 US$) |
| Domestic funding | External funding | Total |
| (1000 US$) | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments |
| 262393 | - | - | - | - | - | -
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Japan: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010
CbD:
UNFCCC:
Kyoto Protocol:
UNCCD:
ITTA:
CITeS:
Ramsar:
World Heritage Convention:
NlbI:
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Japan: Environment
| Environment - current issues | air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere | | Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling | | Natural hazards | many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons |
Japan: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 12.19%
permanent crops: 0.96%
other: 86.85% (2001) | | Natural resources | negligible mineral resources, fish |
Japan: Economy
| Economy - overview: | Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of third largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. Japan is the second largest economy, measured on an exchange rate basis. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets and to force a restructuring of the economy. From 2000 to 2003, government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2004 and 2005, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt, which totals 170% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. A rise in taxes could be viewed as endangering the revival of growth. Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the financial system will continue as Japan Post's banking, insurance, and delivery services undergo privatization between 2007 and 2017. | | GDP - per capita | $30,400 (2005 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 2.1% (2005 est.) | | Agriculture - products | rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fish | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 1.3%, industry: 25.3%, services: 73.5% (2005 est.) | | Industries | among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods | | Population below poverty line (%) | NA | | Debt - external | $1.545 trillion (31 December 2004) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture 4.6%, industry 27.8%, services 67.7% (2004) |
Japan: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 127,417,244 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 0.05% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 340.0 | | Percent rural (2003) | 34.6% | | Median age (years) | total: 42.64 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 1.39 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) |
Largest Cities in Japan
Cities and urban areas in Japan with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.
| City | Country | City Population | Urban Area Population |
| Tokyo | Japan | 8027500 | 31036900 |
| Yokohama | Japan | 3552300 | 3552300 |
| Osaka | Japan | 2647000 | 17592400 |
| Nagoya | Japan | 2258000 | 8595400 |
| Sapporo | Japan | 1779700 | 2249900 |
| Kyoto | Japan | 1492500 | 1492500 |
| Kobe | Japan | 1467400 | 1467400 |
| Fukuoka | Japan | 1334200 | 4186300 |
| Kawasaki | Japan | 1292000 | 1292000 |
| Hiroshima | Japan | 1131100 | 1639100 |
| Kitakyushu | Japan | 1058800 | 1058800 |
| Sendai | Japan | 1015400 | 1312900 |
| Chiba | Japan | 932800 | 932800 |
| Sakai | Japan | 816700 | 816700 |
| Kumamoto | Japan | 658600 | 658600 |
| Okayama | Japan | 627900 | 1270100 |
| Sagamihara | Japan | 612900 | 612900 |
| Funabashi | Japan | 588800 | 588800 |
| Hamamatsu | Japan | 580500 | 1093000 |
| Kagoshima | Japan | 546500 | 546500 |
| Higashiosaka | Japan | 526100 | 526100 |
| Hachioji | Japan | 507100 | 507100 |
| Amagasaki | Japan | 503600 | 503600 |
| Matsudo | Japan | 502400 | 502400 |
| Niigata | Japan | 499200 | 499200 |
| Urawa | Japan | 497600 | 497600 |
| Kawaguchi | Japan | 492700 | 492700 |
| Shizuoka | Japan | 490000 | 1211600 |
| Himeji | Japan | 485400 | 485400 |
| Ichikawa | Japan | 479600 | 479600 |
| Omiya | Japan | 476100 | 476100 |
| Kanazawa | Japan | 465400 | 465400 |
| Yokosuka | Japan | 464200 | 464200 |
| Matsuyama | Japan | 461700 | 461700 |
| Utsunomiya | Japan | 454400 | 454400 |
| Nagasaki | Japan | 431900 | 431900 |
| Oita | Japan | 428100 | 428100 |
| Wakayama | Japan | 393300 | 494400 |
| Fukuyama | Japan | 382000 | 382000 |
| Toyohashi | Japan | 370300 | 572400 |
| Nagano | Japan | 369000 | 369000 |
| Asahikawa | Japan | 365200 | 365200 |
| Iwaki | Japan | 364900 | 364900 |
| Takamatsu | Japan | 336300 | 336300 |
| Koriyama | Japan | 330800 | 330800 |
| Toyama | Japan | 329900 | 329900 |
| Naha | Japan | 321500 | 321500 |
| Kochi | Japan | 320500 | 320500 |
| Akita | Japan | 306500 | 306500 |
| Miyazaki | Japan | 304100 | 304100 |
| Hakodate | Japan | 302700 | 302700 |
| Maebashi | Japan | 294900 | 294900 |
| Aomori | Japan | 294100 | 294100 |
| Fukushima | Japan | 289200 | 289200 |
| Morioka | Japan | 286300 | 286300 |
| Tokushima | Japan | 269400 | 269400 |
| Mito | Japan | 260400 | 260400 |
| Fukui | Japan | 259700 | 259700 |
| Yamagata | Japan | 253900 | 253900 |
| Takasaki | Japan | 246600 | 246600 |
| Kurume | Japan | 243400 | 243400 |
| Hachinohe | Japan | 242600 | 242600 |
| Sasebo | Japan | 241100 | 241100 |
| Fuji | Japan | 236900 | 236900 |
| Numazu | Japan | 219400 | 437600 |
| Odawara | Japan | 214900 | 214900 |
| Kure | Japan | 213700 | 213700 |
| Matsumoto | Japan | 211500 | 211500 |
| Hitachi | Japan | 210600 | 210600 |
| Kofu | Japan | 207500 | 207500 |
| Kushiro | Japan | 201900 | 201900 |
| Nagaoka | Japan | 192200 | 192200 |
| Suzuka | Japan | 186100 | 186100 |
| Hirosaki | Japan | 177900 | 177900 |
| Takaoka | Japan | 176000 | 176000 |
| Obihiro | Japan | 173900 | 173900 |
| Ube | Japan | 173500 | 173500 |
| Ashikaga | Japan | 173100 | 173100 |
| Saga | Japan | 172400 | 172400 |
| Tomakomai | Japan | 171500 | 171500 |
| Tsu | Japan | 168900 | 168900 |
| Oyama | Japan | 156700 | 156700 |
| Katsuta | Japan | 152000 | 152000 |
| Omuta | Japan | 150700 | 150700 |
Japan: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 71.149 million (2002) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 86,658,600 (2003) | | Roadways (km) | total: 1,177,278 km
paved: 914,745 km (including 6,946 km of expressways)
unpaved: 262,533 km (2002) |
Japan: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 81.15 years
male: 77.86 years
female: 84.61 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 3.26 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | less than 0.1% (2003 est.) |
Japan
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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