The government on Tuesday unveiled a draft proposal for lessening the effects of Japan¡¯s hay fever season, which include reducing cedar forests by 20% over 10 years with the goal of lowering the country¡¯s pollen count by half in 30 years.

The proposal ¡ª a response to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida¡¯s call in April for ministries to devise comprehensive hay fever measures over the next 10 years ¡ª comes as pollen allergies, which are mostly caused by cedar trees, have become a major social concern, affecting an estimated 40% of the population.

¡°(Hay fever) cannot be resolved overnight, and we need to implement these steps steadily,¡± Kishida said at a ministerial meeting on hay fever on Tuesday. ¡°I hope people will be able to put these measures into practice by next year¡¯s pollen season and onward.¡±

The countermeasures consist of three pillars. First, to reduce pollen itself, the government will broaden over the 10 years the logging areas where artificially planted cedar trees are found ¡ª from the current 50,000 hectares per year to 70,000. To avoid deforestation, the government will replant the logged areas with other kinds of trees or varieties of cedar that produce less pollen, it said. The government will also promote the use of domestically logged trees and ensure adequate staffing levels in the forestry industry, with the latter achieved by upgrading forestry equipment and bringing in more workers from overseas, according to the draft proposal.

Second, to minimize exposure to pollen for those with allergies, the government will improve the quality of pollen forecasts, using supercomputers and artificial intelligence, so people will have a better idea of which areas of the country to avoid. At the same time, the forestry agency will aim to commercialize chemical or fungal sprays to stop cedar pollen from being dispersed from the trees.

Lastly, Japan will step up support for hay fever care and prevention by boosting the availability of sublingual immunotherapy, where patients attempt to build immunity by placing a tablet containing ceder pollen under their tongue once a day for three years or longer. The government said it plans to cover up to 1 million people from the current 250,000 over five years.

Companies will also be urged to introduce flexible working practices such as teleworking to reduce their employees¡¯ exposure to pollen, according to the proposal.

The measures will be included in a set of economic policies to be drawn up in June.