MAFF designates and lifts protection forests nationwide; announced in the Official Gazette dated August 25, 2026

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced in the Official Gazette dated August 25, 2026, the collective designation of protection forests based on Article 25, Paragraph 1 of the Forest Act (Act No. 249 of 1951) and the cancellation of designations based on Article 26. The notification was issued under the name of Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Norikazu Suzuki, covering forests across the prefectures of Tochigi, Kyoto, Fukui, Saga, Hokkaido, Fukuoka, Toyama, and Fukushima.

Protection forests are a system that imposes restrictions on logging and planting methods to ensure public interest functions, such as the conservation of water resources and the prevention of sediment runoff and landslides. In this notification, designated management requirements have been established, such as requiring final harvesting to be conducted via selection cutting and stipulating that harvestable standing trees must meet or exceed the standard rotation age defined in the municipal forest management plan.

Newly Designated Protection Forests

The designation notifications were issued across Official Gazette Nos. 1251 to 1256 and Nos. 1264 to 1266. The primary targets are as follows:

• Tochigi Prefecture, Motegi Town, Haga District (Notification No. 1251) — Purpose: Conservation of water resources
• Kyoto Prefecture, Kyotanba Town, Funai District (Notification No. 1252) — Purpose: Prevention of sediment runoff
• Fukui Prefecture, Minamiechizen Town, Nanjo District (Notifications No. 1253 and No. 1255) — Purpose: Prevention of sediment landslides and runoff
• Saga Prefecture, Karatsu City (Notification No. 1254) — Purpose: Prevention of sediment runoff
• Fukui Prefecture, Sabae City (Notification No. 1256) — Purpose: Prevention of sediment runoff
• Tokyo Metropolis, Hinohara Village, Nishitama District (Notification No. 1264) — Purpose: Prevention of sediment landslides
• Hokkaido, Yuni Town, Yubari District and Tomari Village, Kouut District (Notifications No. 1265 and No. 1266) — Purpose: Prevention of sediment runoff and landslides

Targets and Reasons for Cancellation of Designation

Cancellations were carried out under Notifications No. 1267 to No. 1270, with reasons divided into “extinction of the reason for designation” and “for use as road land.”

• Fukuoka Prefecture, Iizuka City (Notification No. 1267) — Extinction of the reason for designation
• Fukushima Prefecture, Iidate Village, Soma District (Notification No. 1268) — For use as road land
• Toyama Prefecture, Nanto City (Notifications No. 1269 and No. 1270) — For use as road land / Extinction of the reason for designation

Procedures and Public Inspection

Each notification states that drawings and related documents regarding the designation and cancellation are kept at the prefectural offices and municipal offices with jurisdiction over the target areas for public inspection. Concerned parties can confirm the details at the local government offices.

This series of notifications is positioned as a measure to balance the maintenance of the public interest functions of forests with the coordination of regional land use. Since the designation and cancellation of protection forests directly impact public works such as water resource conservation, disaster prevention, and road development, residents and businesses in the target areas must pay attention to future land-use planning.

Source: Official Gazette (Kanpō), dated August 25, 2026, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Notifications No. 1251 to No. 1256 and No. 1264 to No. 1270 (Designation and cancellation of protection forests based on Articles 25 and 26 of the Forest Act).