Tokyo: The Japanese government plans to designate areas around big cities as priority zones for intensive measures to tackle hay fever, including cutting down cedar trees, a source of pollen known to cause allergies, as part of a related response package adopted Wednesday.

In the priority zones, mainly near densely populated areas, to be chosen before the current fiscal year ends in March 2024, the government will cut down cultivated Japanese cedar forests and transplant varieties that produce less pollen.

The initial intensive response package will be included in the government’s economic stimulus measures to be compiled by the end of this month.

At the day’s meeting of related cabinet ministers, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, “In order to ensure the safety and security of Japanese people, the government intends to vigorously take measures against hay fever in line with the package.”

Prefectural governments will be in charge of designating the priority zones. Roads reserved for use in cutting cedar trees will be constructed. The Forestry Agency plans to decide the designation criteria and other specific steps.

As part of efforts to reduce pollen sources, the package seeks to promote the use of cedar lumber as a housing material and calls for supporting the purchase of high-performance forestry machines for logging operations.

Also, the government will later this year introduce standardized levels for expected airborne pollen, hoping to make it easier for people to understand the forecasts.

To address hay fever symptoms and exposure to pollen, the package calls for spreading the related use of goods such as air cleaners and masks.

In an outline of measures to fight hay fever compiled in May, the government set a goal of reducing existing planted cedar forests by some 20 pct in 10 years and halving the amount of pollen being generated in about 30 years. It aims to make cedar saplings with less pollen to account for over 90 pct of all cedar saplings in 10 years.

JIJI Press