Tens of thousands of trees face axe to tackle hay fever

Japan yesterday unveiled a policy package to tackle hay fever caused by pollen from cedar and cypress trees, aiming to halve emissions over the next 30 years.

As hay fever is estimated to affect more than 40 per cent of the population, the government plans to reduce areas of planted cedar by around 20 per cent over the next decade by cutting 70,000 hectares of the trees per year, compared with the current level of 50,000 hectares.

To reduce the impact of pollen allergens that trigger symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing and itchy eyes mainly during the spring season, more than 90 per cent of young cedar trees will be replaced in 10 years with species that release less pollen.

“It is necessary to maintain a strong focus on the issue and implement policies steadily as this is not something that can be solved overnight,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a ministerial meeting on hay fever held at his office yesterday.

The measures are expected to be incorporated into the annual economic policy blueprint, scheduled for compilation in June.

Kishida’s government also committed to taking steps to increase annual production of immunotherapy medicines for the alleviation of allergy symptoms to ensure there is sufficient supply for 1 million people, compared with 250,000 at present.

Supercomputers and artificial intelligence will be utilised to improve the accuracy of pollen forecasts and information provision by the Japan Meteorological Agency will also be enhanced.

The government pledged to encourage home builders to use more timber from domestic cedar trees and urged the business community to promote remote working to reduce pollen exposure.

A survey by ear, nose and throat specialists showed 42.5 per cent of people suffered from hay fever in Japan in 2019, up from 19.6 per cent in 1998.