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Japan Wood Products Export Association opens a kiosk in Dubai

Japan Wood Products Export Association opened a
Japan Wood Products Export Association opened a "Japan Wood Gallery" kiosk at City Walk, Dubai, United Arab Emirates to increase the export of Japanese wood. (ANJP photo)
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08 Mar 2021 04:03:24 GMT9
08 Mar 2021 04:03:24 GMT9

Carla Chahrour


The Japan Wood Products Export Association opened a “Japan Wood Gallery” kiosk at City Walk, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from February 25-28 to present wood-products made in Japan with the aim of increasing Japan’s wood exports throughout the country.

Based in Tokyo, the Japan Wood Products Export Association is an organization that is committed to promotion of trade in the export of Japanese wood overseas with local governments, industry groups and companies as members.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News Japan, the Japan Wood Products Export Association explained the organization ’s mission and the inspiration behind the promotion of Japanese wood products in Dubai.

The Association contributes to the expansion of exports of Japanese wood through investigating the needs of partner countries, participating in exhibitions such as the Japan Pavilion and holding seminars for expanding exports to countries that have potential for trade. By forming partnerships with several members, from governments to manufacturers, the Association aids in the promotion of domestic wood to new global markets across the world in order to form and increase export opportunities. 

“The Association considers Dubai to be a country with the potential to expand the use of Japanese timber, so it was exhibited this time,” a representative of the Japan Wood Products Export Association said. 

“Initially, the Association was thinking of exhibiting at the Messe Frankfurt Gifts & lifestyle Middle East to be held in Dubai in March, but since it was postponed, it planned this Japan Wood Gallery,” the organization’s representative added.

In 2020, Japanese wood exports totalled 35.7 billion yen, the second highest figure after 36.6 billion yen in 1977 with the top partner countries to which Japan exported wood included China, United States and Korea, according to the WITS.

Elaborating on the organization’s interest in the field of wood-products, the representative explained how the abundance of forests in Japan prompted business development.

“In Japan, two-thirds of the land is forests, and 40% of the forests are coniferous plantations of mainly Sugi(Japanese cedar) and Hinoki(Japanese cypress), which are used for buildings and furniture. Forest wood is a zero-emission material for CO2, and we would like to contribute to the issues of global warming by repeating the cycle of planting, growing, cutting, and using it,” the representative said.

Japan Wood Products Export Association’s kiosk at City Walk features wooden products made from Japanese cypress and cedar designed to provide a glimpse of the product’s extensively diverse fields of application. This includes wood used in the construction of walls, ceilings, floors, exterior materials such as siding and decking, as well as interior materials such as fittings for a house and furniture, which are all made using traditional Japanese techniques and workmanship. 


“The wood product manufacturing company to be exhibited is one of Japan’s leading companies in terms of technology and design, and is eager to promote the use of Japanese wood overseas,” the representative said.


The kiosk additionally showcases decorative products manufactured using Japanese wood that range from interior accessories, gift items, jewelry, children’s toys and storage boxes, thereby presenting the ability of the companies promoted to not only provide wood for industrial usage, but also for the production of everyday items. 

“Today we are promoting Japanese wood from different manufacturers and companies in Japan. Whenever you say “Japan” people think of quality products and this is what we are presenting, the quality of Japanese wood, which is used widely and in Japan,” Amr Al Sahtout, a promoter working at the kiosk said. 

In presenting the wooden-products showcased at the stand, Al Sahtout informed viewers of a simple method that can be used to differentiate between Cedar and Cypress wood.

“The colour of Cypress wood is usually light and is nearly white, while the Cedar is a little bit darker. They have a lot of different kinds of wood but these are the most utilized and reliable that can be used for housing and construction as they can be used for walls, flooring and ceilings. They even have paper wood, which is real high-quality wood that can be used for the walls, as well as wooden accessories such as wallets, necklaces and earrings,” Al Sahtout said.


“Many people in the UAE will ask if this type of wood can handle the weather, and the answer is yes, because in Japan they have cold weather such as rain, storms, snow, as well as hot weather. What is also good about this wood is that they are insect, fire and water resistant. Some of the wood presented, if maintained properly, can live up to 300 years, which is amazing. The wood can also keep rooms cold during the summer and provide a nice smell, these are special features of some types of wood offered,” Al Sahtout added.

Trees, and their derivative products, have been used by societies around the world for thousands of years. Contemporary use of wood, in whole or in part, for construction suggests a growing interest in the potential for building with wood. Since wood is one of the only significant building materials that is grown, extensive use of the material can sometimes be a driver of deforestation.

However, the Japan Wood Products Export Association said that “the annual growth of forests in Japan is greater than the domestic demand, so we want everyone in the world to use the right proportion of Japanese wood,” which means that the wood obtained

in Japan is done under proper management and conservation of forests, ensuring that sustainable methods are maintained during the production of wood products to monitor the proportion of wood being cut-down.

The association also explained how promoting the usage of sustainable wood products could contribute to environmental efforts and tackling the problem of climate change.

“Wood is a zero-emission material for CO2 that contributes to the prevention of global warming, so we would like to contribute to global environmental issues by playing a part in the cycle of planting, growing, cutting, and using it,” the Japan Wood Products Export Association said.

Ultimately, using wood as alternatives to other non-renewable or high-embodied energy materials would contribute to environmental efforts by saving carbon emissions that would have been released by construction materials and simultaneously acting as an effective carbon-storage product.

The opening of a kiosk in the heart of Dubai that showcases the different types of Japanese wood and wood-products made in Japan serves to promote the export of Japanese wood internationally, while simultaneously educating people within the UAE not only about the different types of wood in Japan, but also the scrupulousness of Japanese manufacturing techniques and workmanship, allowing them to visualize the uniqueness of the product being offered.

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