Japan Wood Products
Prices
Dollar Exchange Rates of
15th Jan. 2009
Japan Yen 89.84
Reports From Japan
Dismal economic trends drive plywood market lower
Japan Lumber Journal drew attention to the continuing
negative impacts on the Japanese timber market at end
December 2008. Regarding plywood, it was noted that
Indonesia’s plywood supply to Japan would likely to
decline further, as factories were shutting down and
production was being scaled back. The same was noted for
Malaysia, with JLJ signaling that Malaysian plywood
factories would suspend their production once stocks of
raw materials were used. Reports from the Tokyo Lumber
Wholesalers’ Association Lumber Price Market
Investigation Committee indicated no movement in
plywood imports, with many expecting that the plywood
market would become worse in 2009. Participants at the
meeting expected distributors to sell products at lower
prices to move stocks. Japan Lumber Reports also noted
that previous price increases were lost over a span of
weeks due to the slow movement of the plywood market
in October and November 2008.
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