The Austrian Forestry Forums were held in Tokyo on 26 February at the Mokuzai Kaikan and in Kyoto on 27 February at the Kyoto Keizai Center. In his opening speech at the two expert forums, Minister Totschnig expressed that Austria and Japan share a deep appreciation for their forests, their importance as a habitat and economic factor and their traditional forestry and timber industries. He also emphasised the need for further cooperation between Austria and Japan.
The Forums featured keynote speeches on "Future Industry Forestry and Timber - Sustainable" by Martin Nöbauer, Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (Tokyo and Kyoto), "Forestry and Forestry Policy in Japan - Learning from Austria" by Jun Fukuda, MAFF Forestry Agency, Director, Forest Multiple Use and Conservation Division (Tokyo) and "The J-Credit System in Japan" by Shigeru Maeda, Forest Value K.K.(Kyoto). They provided in-depth insights into the latest trends in forest management in Austria and Japan.
Following the keynote speeches, 11 Austrian companies presented their innovative products, services and solutions for modern and future-oriented forestry and forest management. Approximately 100 people attended the Austrian event in Tokyo and 50 in Kyoto. Representatives of Austrian companies and Japanese experts had ample time to network, exchange experiences and share best practices in individual B2B meetings and in a more relaxed atmosphere over lunch.
The presentations presented at the Forum are available on our website. Please visit:
Austrian Forest Forum in Tokyo & Kyoto (Japanese)
From the left: Minoru KIUCHI (general-secretary of the German-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Group), Minister Norbert TOTSCHNIG, Minister Tetsushi SAKAMOTO (MAFF), Ambassador Elisabeth BERTAGNOLI, Commercial Counsellor Christina SCHÖSSER
The signing of a Memorandum of Corporation (MoC) between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Rural Areas and Water Management and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan was the highlight of the three-day trip and raised the cooperation and mutual understanding between the two countries to a new level. The MoC focuses on cooperation in sustainable forest management, the use of wood and wood products, and education in this field.
The main contents of MoC are as follows:
a) Exchange of information and learnings of policies of the sides related to sustainable forest management and use of wood and wood products;
b) Exchange of knowledge and learnings on innovations and techniques related to wood construction and wood utilization (including material and energy use of forest resources);
c) Exchange of knowledge and learnings on prevention and management of mountain hazards;
d) Exchange of knowledge and learnings on training, education and research;
e) Facilitation of technical exchanges for scientific, training and educational purposes; and
f) Other forms of cooperation mutually decided by the sides related to the promotion of sustainable forest management and use of wood and wood products
It was signed by Minister Norbert Totschnig and Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto on 26 February at MAFF in Tokyo.
Minister Totschnig also met and exchanged views with the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike and Governor of Kyoto Takatoshi Nishiwaki.
