Governor Koike Visits Ministers to Boost Domestic Timber Use

On August 25, Governor Koike, serving as the leader of the domestic timber utilization project team of the National Governors’ Association, visited the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizumi Shinjiro and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Abe Toshiko to request the promotion of domestic timber use.

Speaking to Minister Koizumi, Governor Koike said, “This summer has been extremely hot. Linear precipitation zones and sudden downpours have caused severe damage in many areas.” She also said that these meteorological conditions are closely related to the water retention capacity of mountain forests. “Now is the optimal time to harvest and utilize domestic timber. Our goal is to improve the mountains' ability to ‘breathe’ by increasing the use of domestic timber,” she said.

The governor then discussed the importance of education with Minister Abe. "The trees planted after WWII have matured and are ready for harvest. Wooden architecture is seen across the country, so we must train the personnel involved in construction,” she said. “The technical expertise required for medium- to large-scale buildings is highly specialized. Our request highlights the importance of developing human resources in this field," she said.