Japan's imports of radiata pine logs and lumber decreased considerably in 2015, compared to 2014. The demand for lumber in crates and by the pallet remained slow, despite the weak yen.
The Japanese radiata pine logs imports from New Zealand reached 421,850 m3, 20.2% less than in 2014, while the radiata pine lumber imports reached 75,936 m3, 10.5% less compared to the previous year. Also, Japanese imports of Chilean radiata pine lumber summed 222,353 m3, 14.3% less than in 2014.
Japan's imports from China dropped mostly because of the slowing Chinese economy. The neighboring countries such as Korea, Thailand and Philippines, are also affected by the slow Chinese market, affecting the overall demand for lumber in crates.
Because of this decrease, the radiata pine sawmills in Japan reduced their production in 2015 by 20%, which resulted in a lower demand for radiata pine logs. Chilean radiata pine suppliers planned eight shipments to Japan in 2015 but the last one reached Japan at the beginning of 2016. Chilean sawmills also reduced their production due to the low Chinese demand and fierce competition with European sawmills in the Middle East.
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