Taking the axe to forests in battle against hay fever

Government will invest in new technology and on therapies to alleviate kafunsho, the malady that affects two out of five people in Japan.

Cypress make excellent shelter belt trees but are villains when it comes to spreading pollen. Picture: Fawcett Media

apan is to cut down and replant vast forests in an effort to overcome an epidemic of hay fever that causes misery to tens of millions of people every spring.

The government has ­announced a program that will target forests in “priority zones” close to the country’s biggest cities. It will invest in new logging technology and on therapies to ­alleviate kafunsho, the malady that affects two out of five people in Japan.

“In order to ensure the safety and security of Japanese people, the government intends to take vigorous measures against hay fever in line with the package,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after a cabinet meeting at which the program was agreed.

The problem is caused by cedar and cypress trees, forests of which were planted after World War II for use in construction. Rising labour costs soon made it cheaper to import timber. Every spring pollen billows from the unharvested trees and drifts across densely populated cities.

Approximately 40 per cent of the population – about 50 million people – suffered from pollen allergies in 2019, up a fifth from 20 years ago. Last spring’s pollen count was close to three times that of 2022.

Under the plans, cedar forests in the priority zones will be felled and replaced with varieties that generate less pollen. The idea is to cut down 70,000ha a year, ­especially in mountain areas close to Tokyo and Osaka. Over the next decade cedar forests are to be reduced by one fifth, and 90 per cent of those that remain will be of the low-pollen type. This, it is intended, will halve the amount of pollen produced in 30 years.

The plan also contains provision for promoting the use of immunotherapy to ease the symptoms of allergy sufferers.

The Times