Journal of Forest Economics
Online ISSN : 2424-2454
Print ISSN : 0285-1598
Current issue
Journal of Forest Economics
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
  • 2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages Cover_1
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
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  • 2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages Toc_1
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
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  • Koichi KURIYAMA
    Article type: Article
    2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 1-11
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    In recent years, world-wide discussions on sustainable natural capital management, such as the nature-positive concept, have been rapidly expanding. However, Japan’s domestic forest policy has not been able to respond to these trends concerning natural capital, and the Japanese Forest Economics Society (JFES) has not been able to provide leadership in these discussions. Why has Japan’s forest policy and forest economics research fallen behind the global trends in sustainable natural capital management? This paper examines global trends in natural capital management and the direction of Japan’s natural capital management, while also considering the research trends in natural capital management within the JFES. Based on this analysis, the paper identifies the issues facing Japan’s natural capital management. Although the role of businesses is emphasized in natural capital, both Japan’s forest administration and forest economics researchers have failed to recognize forests as natural capital, which is why Japan has fallen behind the global trends in natural capital management. Based on these findings, the paper discusses the future challenges for domestic natural capital management.
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  • Current Status and Challenges of Natural Capital Assessment Among TNFD Adopters
    Keishi NAKAO
    Article type: Article
    2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 12-25
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The environment surrounding corporate natural capital management has changed significantly in recent years. Trends in the evaluation and disclosure of corporate natural capital have garnered increasing attention since the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) issued its recommendation. This paper provides an overview of the corporate natural capital disclosure frameworks, with a focus on TNFD. This paper provides an overview of TNFD as a corporate natural capital disclosure framework and examines the current state, challenges, and potential academic contributions, based on an analysis of TNFD-aligned corporate disclosures and the use of natural capital assessment tools. While natural capital disclosure in 2023 showed overall improvement compared to 2019, three key challenges remain: (1) ensuring transparency in the evaluation process, (2) accounting for regional characteristics, and (3) achieving comprehensive analysis of nature-related risks. Due to the technical limitations of existing tools and indicators, In the field of forest economics, leveraging existing research on the economic valuation of ecosystem services to quantify the relationship between corporations and natural capital in economic terms presents an opportunity to contribute to more sustainable corporate natural capital management.
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  • Tetsuya AIKOH, Yasushi SHOJI, Kotaro FUKATSU
    Article type: Article
    2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 26-39
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    In Japan’s National Parks, in several cases, visitors are asked to pay fees because of insufficient budgets to conserve the natural environment and maintain facilities. Although the introduction of entrance fees has been frequently discussed at council meetings, it has yet to be established in the natural park system. However, according to a survey conducted in FY2023, 127 cases of entrance fees, fundraising by local governments and the private sector, and efforts to create an appropriate cycle between conservation and utilization were identified in national parks nationwide, and the number has been increasing annually. This study analyzed the circumstances of the discussions, introduced cases in Japan, and examined prospects based on discussions on user payments in Japan and abroad. To introduce user payments, managers should clarify the projects that are affected by budget shortfalls, consider cost sharing between public funds and visitor payments, and create a system that considers fairness. However, the most crucial aspect is building consensus with local stakeholders based on the results of the preliminary surveys. This collaborative approach is key to the successful implementation of user payments. Prior publicity, reliable and transparent systems, and monitoring should accompany the system’s operation.
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  • Considerations Based on the Current State of Forestry Economics Research
    Hiroki KASAMATSU
    Article type: Article
    2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 40-47
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The 2001 Forest and Forestry Basic Law established new policies to promote settlement in mountain villages, and the Forest and Forestry Basic Plan also promoted the promotion of settlement in mountain villages and the coexistence and exchange between cities and mountain villages, with the development of living environments and a focus on base villages. It was pointed out that communities alone cannot maintain their communities and livelihoods, and the emergence of small-scale multifunctional selfgovernance has also drawn attention to the growth of the citizen sector. Subjective recognition of mountain village values is a strong motivation for relocation, but problems remain in creating the conditions for settlement. While progress has been made with forest volunteers, it was pointed out that citizen-led forest management is still at the stage of sorting out the involvement of ordinary citizens beyond commons and governance. The activities of the Self-Harvesting Association can be evaluated as an intermediate support organization in this regard. Furthermore, resilience was presented in the recovery from the nuclear accident.
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  • Possibility of Using Non-Wood Building Materials from Overseas Manufacturers
    Kohei TAKENAKA, Yuta TSUZUKI
    Article type: Article
    2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 48-57
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Non-wood building materials used in housing construction are dominated by a few domestic manufacturers, whereas products made by overseas manufacturers are rarely used. Although challenging to prove, an oligopoly keeps prices high. This study examines the impact of persistently high non-wood building material prices by analyzing their relationship with lumber prices. In addition, we discuss why non-wood building materials from overseas manufacturers have not been widely adopted by interviewing building contractors. The results of the analysis are as follows: (1) When the prices of fresh concrete, aluminum sashes, tiles, and metal kitchen sink sets that complement cedar, pine, and cypress lumber products decline, the price of lumber tends to increase. (2) Building materials are not imported due to a combination of market structure challenges, such as import duties and uncertain lead times, along with institutional barriers, including the difficulty overseas companies face in attaining Japanese industrial standards. While market structure issues can only be addressed by private companies, institutional issues can be resolved through policy changes. Increasing the possibility of importing building materials and reducing the oligopoly of building materials are crucial forestry policies.
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  • Focusing on the Kumano Kodo Iseji and the Owase Trail in Former Owashi Town, Mie Prefecure, Japan
    Kazutora HIRAYAMA, Shigemitsu SHIBASAKI, Hiromichi FURUIDO, Kazuki HAG ...
    Article type: Article
    2025 Volume 71 Issue 2 Pages 58-69
    Published: 2025
    Released on J-STAGE: July 09, 2025
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Since the 1990s, interest in using mountain trails has increased in Japan, with some mountain trails regenerated for forest recreation, but the management system for many mountain trails still embraces ambiguity. This paper investigates actual conditions of maintenance and management for mountain trails in the former Owashi Town, Mie Prefecture, focusing on the Kumano Kodo Iseji and the Owase Trail, based on interviews with those involved. We found that the former, as a city road, is under the de jure management of the Owase City Board of Education, and various stakeholders such as local conservation groups and patrolmen are involved in its maintenance; however, there is a lack of cooperation among them. On the other hand, the latter trail regenerated by a local volunteer group, is not covered by the Road Act and the manager is unknown due to the nonexistence of the cadastral maps; therefore, the volunteer group became the de facto manager and continues to de facto maintain with the users, without the consent of the landowners or cooperation with administrative agencies. The differences in the maintenance and management systems of these two can stem from the existence of the applicable laws and the presence or absence of a manager based on them. The Owase Trail has moved to a stage where the required level of maintenance has increased with the growing publicness of the trail. It is desirable to establish a system in which administrative agencies undertake coordination with landowners and legally support the maintenance.
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