Ever since the criteria and indicators for establishing a standard for sustainable forest management have been actively discussed internationally since UNCED, Japan has been participating. Japan has been an active and positive partner in the Montreal Process. Based on such activities, Japan has been considering what forest management should be like for putting into effect sustainable forest management (SFM); it has been and implementing various studies to develop and evaluate methods for measurement of each indicator domestically.
Furthermore, to support the discussion at Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF), The International Workshop on Integrated Application of Sustainable Forest Management Practices was organized in cooperation with Canada, Malaysia and others at Kouchi prefecture, Japan in 1996. Regarding the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF), Japan will also participate positively in the discussions and the consensus building on promoting methods for implementing of recommended action of IPF, international mechanism such as Forest Convention and so on.
Besides, as one of the countries that have superior technology in forestry sector in terms of reforestation, forest management and so on, Japan has promoted technical cooperation, development survey, development cooperation, etc. It started with an afforestation project in Philippines in 1976 and has since involved various international forest/forestry cooperation projects in various places of the world including Asia. Africa, Latin America. Technical co-operation and activities under grant aid have been implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) while loans are have been provided through the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF).
Among these schemes, a major activity is a project type technical cooperation that is implemented in the form of work plan comprising dispatch of experts, reception of trainees and provision of equipment. As of January 1997, Japan was carrying out 25 projects in 16 countries including 2 on-site verification surveys. Project type technical cooperation extends to cover a wide area encompassing afforestation and protection, social forestry, natural forests management, forest products research, erosion control, tree breeding, etc. In recent years, the focus of cooperation has tended to be on the support for training/extension for the promotion of social forestry, management of natural forests, etc. in addition to technical cooperation on afforestation.
