The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry released an annual forestry report Tuesday calling for greater use of domestically produced lumber to help Japan's ailing forestry industry.
It said in the white paper for fiscal 2003 that the level of wood use in Japan in 2002 was 15 percent lower than in 1980.
The level of use of domestically grown wood in 2002 was one-third its peak in 1973, partly due to strong competition from imports.
Timber use in Japan has been declining for a long time, while it is on the rise in most other developed countries, it said.
A survey by the Cabinet Office in 2003 found that more than 80 percent of respondents preferred to live in a wooden house, and there was an increase in the number of people who replied that wood should be used more in public facilities, it said.
Greater use of lumber would help improve environmental conservation through forestation, and help reduce global warming, it said.
It said that developing technologies, such as for making wood more fireproof or stronger, will be one of the keys to encourage the use of domestic wood.