No.009 - Sustainable Use of Resources in Northeast Asia

Sustainable Use of Resources in Northeast Asia

Gaku Ito

Research Fellow, Center for Transdisciplinary Innovation, NIHU

On January 18, 2017, the Center for Far Eastern Studies (CFES) of University of Toyama hosted the international symposium “Sustainable Use of Resources in Northeast Asia” as a part of the efforts in CFES for the National Institute for the Humanities (NIHU) Area Studies Project for Northeast Asia. The symposium was jointly organized with NIHU and supported by the Toyama Prefectural Government. Within the project, CFES engages in the studies of economics and related fields. In the fiscal year 2016, in particular, CFES has conducted research mainly on the international division of labor in forestry and wood resources and on the sustainable use of these resources in the Northeast Asian region. Inviting researchers from Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan and an officer of the Toyama Prefectural Government, the symposium was held for the principal purposes of improving the research level through discussions among researchers and releasing the research findings into society through the open session. With the help from within the university and outside as mentioned above, the symposium offered a rich variety of research presentations and lectures related to the Northeast Asian region and forest and wood resources.

The symposium was featured in the four newspapers including the Kitanippon Shimbum and the Yomiuri Shimbun. This reflects the high level of interest in the Northeast Asian region and in forestry and wood resources in the prefecture.

Researcher Session 

The researchers from Renmin University of China, Kangwon National University, Korea, and National Taiwan University, as well as the National Museum of Ethnology and University of Toyama participating in the NIHU Northeast Asia Area Studies Project gave presentations and had an active discussion in the researcher session. The session was rich in its multidisciplinarity, given that it included presentations on not only theoretical and empirical researches based on the economic approach but also on studies based on the approach of cultural anthropology, and that Toyama faculty members of the natural science departments participated in the discussions. Professor Hsu Shih-hsun of National Taiwan University reported a theoretical assessment on the likely impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Taiwan’s forest and wood-related industries drawing on an economic model, or the general equilibrium model, and numerical simulations. Utilizing an econometric approach, Professor Zhao Guoqing of Renmin University of China and Professor Ma Jun of University of Toyama each reported empirical studies on the fluctuations of fossil fuel prices and timber trade in Japan, China and Korea. Professor Kim Joon-Soon of Kangwon National University delivered a presentation on the evaluation method of the eco-system and the environment based on an economic approach and its application to the forests in Korea.  Subsequently, Professor Kazunobu Ikeya of the National Museum of Ethnology gave a presentation on the use and management of non-timber forest products based on the findings from a cultural anthropological perspective and surveys.

Open Session

The open session began with a greeting from Professor Hiroko Imamura, director of CFES. It included four lectures with a focus on the timber- and forest-related industries and trade in Japan, China and Korea. In the first half of the session, Professor Kim Se Bin of Chungnam National University, Korea delivered a lecture “Development and Prospects of the Korean Timber Industry: An Industrial Organization Theory Approach”. It was followed by a lecture entitled “Wood Supply for 70 Years in Post-World War II Japan and the Current State of Forests” from Professor Shin Nagata of the University of Tokyo. These two lectures clarified the history and current state of the timber industry in Japan and Korea, as well as the fact that both countries are facing similar policy issue of promoting the use of domestically produced timber products.

Professor Kong Xiangzhi of Renmin University of China gave a lecture entitled “Study of China’s Forestry Policy and Wood Circulation System” to review the current status of forest and wood-related resources and trading in China as well as policy issues including forest conservation. Subsequently, Mr. Makoto Shimizu, councilor for the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department of the Toyama Prefectural Government, presented a lecture focused on Toyama Prefecture under the title “The Cyclical Use of Forestry Resources by Encouraging the Use of Timber Produced in Toyama Prefecture”. The lecture explained the current circumstances surrounding timber produced in the prefecture, including timber demand, industry and prices, as well as the prefectural government measures concerning the utilization of timber products grown in Toyama prefecture, including promoting wooden public buildings and subsidization for the new construction and renovation of wooden residential houses using local timber products.

CFES within the NIHU Northeast Asia area studies project will continuously endeavor to organize international and inter-disciplinary academic conferences and distribute and return the achievements to society.

Discussion in the Researcher Session

Lecture in the Open Session