According to recent Japanese news reports, Japanese plywood imports have rebounded to the levels in 2019. Previously, Japan's plywood imports showed a downward trend year by year due to the epidemic and many factors. This year, Japanese plywood imports will recover strongly to close to pre-pandemic levels.

In 2021, Malaysia exported 794,800 cubic meters of lumber products to Japan, accounting for 43% of Japan's total hardwood plywood imports of 1.85 million cubic meters, according to data from Japan's Ministry of Finance cited by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) in its latest Tropical Timber report. %. Total imports in 2021 will increase by 12% from about 1.65 million cubic meters in 2020. Malaysia is again the No. 1 supplier of hardwood plywood to Japan, after the country held a tie with rival Indonesia, which also exported 702,700 cubic meters to Japan in 2020.

It can be said that Malaysia  and Indonesia are dominating the supply of plywood to Japan, and the increase in Japanese imports has driven up the price of plywood exports from these two countries. Besides Malaysia and Indonesia, Japan also buys hardwood plywood from Vietnam and China. Shipments from China to Japan also increased from 131.200 cubic meters in 2019 to 135,800 cubic meters in 2021.The reason is that plywood imports to Japan increased sharply in the last quarter of 2021, and Japan was unable to meet its surge in demand for plywood by processing domestic logs. Some Japanese lumber companies have tried to buy  logs from Taiwan for domestic processing, but import costs are high, containers to Japan are in short supply, and there are not enough trucks to transport logs.

In another market in the world, the United States will significantly increase tariffs on Russian birch plywood. Not long ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to terminate normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus.
The bill would raise tariffs on Russian and Belarusian goods and give the president the power to impose stricter import taxes on Russian exports amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. After the bill is passed, the tariff on Russian birch plywood will increase from the current zero tariff to 40--50%. The tariffs will be implemented immediately after President Biden formally signs the bill, according to the American Decorative Hardwood Association. In the case of constant demand, the price of birch plywood may have a larger room for growth. Birch grows in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, so there are relatively few regions and countries with a complete birch plywood industry chain, which will be a good opportunity for Chinese plywood manufacturers.