Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Japan
Since 2001, Japan has lost about 1.02 million hectares of forest (about 10,000 km²): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 108,000 hectares (11%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 26.2 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.02 million ha3.9% of it, about 10,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 108,000 hadeforestation, 11% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201654,800 ha lost
Map
Where Japan has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Japan as satellites saw it from 2000 to 2025. Yellow and green were forest; red to white marks where it has been lost since 2001, and when.
- Forest cover in 2000
- 0%25%50%75%100%How much of the land was forest: dark purple had little or none, yellow was dense forest.
- Year the forest was lost
- 200120132025Where forest was cut down, burned or cleared since 2001: red for the early years, through orange, to white for the most recent. Solid where a fifth or more of a place's forest went, fainter where 8% or more did.
- Cities
- The capital (the larger dot) and the biggest cities, to help you find your way.
Year by year
Forest lost in Japan, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 51,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 50,400 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 54,800 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4,200 ha | 19,500 ha | 23,700 ha |
| 2002 | 3,590 ha | 22,300 ha | 25,900 ha |
| 2003 | 2,460 ha | 17,100 ha | 19,600 ha |
| 2004 | 5,060 ha | 31,900 ha | 36,900 ha |
| 2005 | 4,030 ha | 32,100 ha | 36,200 ha |
| 2006 | 4,480 ha | 34,200 ha | 38,700 ha |
| 2007 | 4,900 ha | 40,300 ha | 45,200 ha |
| 2008 | 5,180 ha | 35,400 ha | 40,600 ha |
| 2009 | 4,870 ha | 35,800 ha | 40,700 ha |
| 2010 | 3,850 ha | 31,700 ha | 35,600 ha |
| 2011 | 3,820 ha | 31,800 ha | 35,600 ha |
| 2012 | 5,690 ha | 39,700 ha | 45,400 ha |
| 2013 | 2,550 ha | 20,600 ha | 23,100 ha |
| 2014 | 3,450 ha | 24,600 ha | 28,000 ha |
| 2015 | 3,630 ha | 27,400 ha | 31,100 ha |
| 2016 | 6,650 ha | 48,200 ha | 54,800 ha |
| 2017 | 5,840 ha | 41,600 ha | 47,400 ha |
| 2018 | 5,630 ha | 44,700 ha | 50,300 ha |
| 2019 | 5,570 ha | 45,700 ha | 51,200 ha |
| 2020 | 4,610 ha | 43,300 ha | 47,900 ha |
| 2021 | 3,840 ha | 44,500 ha | 48,400 ha |
| 2022 | 3,530 ha | 50,100 ha | 53,700 ha |
| 2023 | 3,340 ha | 47,000 ha | 50,400 ha |
| 2024 | 3,330 ha | 50,300 ha | 53,600 ha |
| 2025 | 3,620 ha | 49,700 ha | 53,300 ha |
The satellite method improved in 2011, so compare recent years with each other rather than with the 2000s. Hover over or tap a year for its figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation in Japan?
- 11%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 87%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 2.3%cause unknown
- Logging87% · 881,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads6.5% · 66,400 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Mining and energy2.4% · 24,000 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Farms, pasture and plantations1.7% · 17,400 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Unknown causes2.3% · 23,100 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, shifting farming.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Is all forest loss deforestation?
No. When forest is cleared for farms, mines or towns, it is gone for good: that is deforestation. When it is logged or burned, it usually grows back. We count both as forest lost, but only the first as deforestation, so a country with a bad fire year isn't shown as clearing its forest for good.
Prefectures that lost the most
| Prefecture | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | 217,000 ha | 3.8% | 10,100 ha |
| Iwate | 91,100 ha | 7.4% | 3,840 ha |
| Miyazaki | 83,800 ha | 14% | 2,430 ha |
| Oita | 41,700 ha | 8.8% | 2,060 ha |
| Fukushima | 39,000 ha | 3.7% | 4,560 ha |
| Aomori | 38,400 ha | 5.4% | 3,420 ha |
| Akita | 37,900 ha | 4.2% | 1,620 ha |
| Kagoshima | 37,400 ha | 6.9% | 3,680 ha |
| Kumamoto | 34,500 ha | 7.1% | 2,560 ha |
| Miyagi | 30,800 ha | 6.8% | 4,520 ha |
| Hiroshima | 28,400 ha | 4.6% | 3,120 ha |
| Kochi | 21,500 ha | 3.6% | 1,340 ha |
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
| City | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitami | 3,080 ha | 22% | 57 ha |
| Miyakonojō | 2,480 ha | 23% | 125 ha |
| Nobeoka | 1,770 ha | 10% | 207 ha |
| Shinagawa | 1,720 ha | 5.9% | 6 ha |
| Kirishima | 1,710 ha | 12% | 221 ha |
| Miyazaki | 1,600 ha | 21% | 435 ha |
| Aomori | 1,510 ha | 13% | 180 ha |
| Hachinohe | 1,460 ha | 12% | 541 ha |
| Morioka | 1,250 ha | 8.3% | 130 ha |
| Nasushiobara | 1,200 ha | 9.4% | 504 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Japan
A satellite photo a year since 2017, with the forest lost marked on it, and the figures for each city.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Japan
How much forest has Japan lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Japan has lost about 1.02 million hectares of forest (about 10,000 km²): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 108,000 hectares (11%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Japan getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 51,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 50,400 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation in Japan?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (87%), towns and roads (6.5%), mining and energy (2.4%). About 108,000 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss in Japan?
The worst year was 2016, when about 54,800 hectares of forest were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches in Japan, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.