Previous Year Question

Among the four countries given, Japan has the highest percentage of its geographical area under forests. Much of Japan's terrain is mountainous, and extensive areas are covered by both natural and planted forests.

According to Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the country has approximately 25.02 million hectares of forest, covering about 67% of its total land area. Thus, nearly two-thirds of Japan's territory is forested.

A significant part of Japan's forest area also consists of artificial or planted forests. After the Second World War, large-scale plantations of species such as cedar and cypress were developed to meet timber demand. Today, Japan's forests also perform important ecological functions such as soil conservation, watershed protection, biodiversity conservation and carbon absorption.