A ministerial meeting on hay fever decided Tuesday on measures to be implemented over the next 10 years.
In the near future, a pillar of the measures is to reduce the area of pollen-producing cedar forests by 20% from the current total of 4.31 million hectares - about 680 times greater than the area of central Tokyo enclosed by the JR Yamanote Line. The government aims to halve the area in 30 years.
The problem of hay fever can't be solved overnight. It is necessary to steadily implement necessary measures with an eye to the future, said Kishida at a meeting chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Kishida directed the ministers to implement the measures in a timely manner.
The countermeasures to be promoted will tackle the scaly scourge of hay fever on three fronts.
One front is measures to address the source of pollen. The man-made forests where cedars are felled will be expanded by fiscal 2033, from the current level of about 50,000 hectares per year to about 70,000 hectares by fiscal 2033. Cedar wood housing will be encouraged, increasing demand for cedar wood products by an anticipated 40% in 10 years.
As of now, seedlings of species that produce less pollen account for about 50% of all cedar plant shipments, but this will be increased to at least 90% in 10 years.
A third front is a precautionary measure against pollen dispersal. The creation of an agent to prevent trees from dispersing pollen is being promoted, with the aim of putting it into practical use in five years.
The third front is medical measures to prevent the onset of hay fever. The creation of sublingual immunotherapy drugs will be quadrupled within five years.
The measures will be incorporated into the basic policy on economic and fiscal management and reform, which is expected to be adopted by the cabinet in June.