In the past, the illegal logging issue was based on the perception that it was happening overseas, and discussions focused on confirming the legality of imported timber and risk management. However, in recent years, as the government has taken various measures in the name of “making forestry a growth industry” and interest in Japan’s forests and forestry industry has increased, illegal logging in Japan, or so-called logging theft, has come to be seen as a problem that cannot be overlooked.
Today’s illegal logging is not just “a problem that has existed for a long time and can be found anywhere” or “a problem of forest owners and some material producers. It has become a serious social issue that needs to be addressed before logging and log production go into full swing nationwide in the future, backed by government policies. The voices complaining about the damage caused by stolen logging are gradually growing louder and louder, and the government is finally starting to investigate the actual situation and develop monitoring technologies, but the actual situation is still not fully understood.

FoE Japan is currently conducting a survey on the actual situation of logging in Miyazaki Prefecture, which can be called a “hot spot of logging”, based on the voices of the victims.