A Quiet Turning Point Echoed in the Mountains The Transformation of Mountain Villages Brought about by Forestry Liberalization, 1960s-1970s
From the 1960s to the 1960s, Japan's mountain villages experienced a major turning point due to the rapid increase in imports of foreign timber and the liberalization of the timber industry. In 1961, the government expanded imports of foreign timber in order to stabilize lumber prices, and in 1964, the government implemented full liberalization. As a result, large volumes of inexpensive foreign timber poured into the domestic market, and the forestry industry, which had been the main industry of mountain villages, suffered a serious blow. As lumber prices fell and the traditional manual forestry business became unprofitable, forestry structural improvement projects were launched across the country to improve forestry roads and mechanize the forestry industry. However, these projects further reduced the manual forestry industry, and many mountain village workers switched to other primary industries, such as agriculture and construction. The rhythm of seasonal labor that had ta
ken root in mountain villages collapsed, and the very structure of life itself was transformed.
Meanwhile, artificial forests created as a result of postwar policies were not well managed due to the postponement of the harvesting season as a result of the increasing dependence on foreign timber. Forests that were not sufficiently thinned were less rooted and more prone to falling trees and surface collapse during heavy rains. This has had a negative impact on the flood control function and ecosystem of the mountains, and remains a disaster risk throughout the country today. While the liberalization of foreign timber supported urban housing construction, it also had a profound impact on both the economic base of mountain villages and the natural environment, quietly shaking mountain village society.
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