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One of the strengths of the Ryukoku University Master’s Program in Economics is that it offers various opportunities for hands-on Project/Problem-Based Learning (PBL).
In July, 2025, a group of students—including international students such as Japanese government–sponsored students from Cuba and Laos, as well as Japanese students—participated in a field study on innovative wood manufacturing and forest resource management practices in Japan. Through this program, the students explored both private-sector initiatives and local government policies related to the forestry industry.
After World War II, large numbers of cedar trees were planted across Japan by local communities in order to address the shortage of timber for housing construction. Today, these trees are more than 60 years old and cover large areas of Japan’s mountainous regions. However, much of this timber remains underutilized. As Japan’s economy grew, domestic timber gradually lost its competitiveness against cheaper imported wood. As a result, vast areas of cedar forests have been left unmanaged, leading to the deterioration of forest ecosystems and increasing concerns about forest degradation.

A planted cedar forest in Maniwa

To address this issue, the Japanese government has introduced policies to promote the development of new products using these underutilized timber resources and to encourage their export overseas. One product expected to play a key role in this effort is CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber).
As part of this year’s PBL project, the students visited Maniwa City in Okayama Prefecture, where they learned about Japan’s largest CLT manufacturer and the local government’s efforts to develop infrastructure that fully utilizes local timber resources in collaboration with private companies. Maniwa City, located about 300 kilometers west of Kyoto, where Ryukoku University is based, is one of Japan’s leading forestry regions.
CLT is a wood-based construction material made by layering wooden panels with their fibers arranged perpendicular to one another, which significantly increases structural strength. In fact, CLT can achieve strength levels comparable to or even exceeding those of concrete in certain applications. The use of CLT enables the construction of mid- to high-rise buildings—up to around 20 stories—using primarily wooden materials. In Europe, CLT has already become widely used as a sustainable alternative to concrete in building construction.

A monument made of CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber)

On the first day of the field trip, after a three-hour journey to Maniwa, the students walked through locally planted forests to observe the forestry environment firsthand. They then visited a modern complex of buildings constructed using CLT, where they were able to see practical examples of this innovative material in architecture.
On the following day, the group visited Meiken Kogyo, a leading CLT manufacturer. The students toured the company’s state-of-the-art CLT mass-production facility as well as its biomass power plant. During the visit, the company’s president, Mr. Nakajima, gave a detailed presentation on the firm’s investment strategies, technological development, marketing priorities, and international business strategies, including approaches to overseas markets and pricing.

Tour of a biomass power plant of Meiken Kogyo

Students posing with President Nakajima and his staff members of Meiken Kogyo

The students also had the opportunity to hear from the Mayor of Maniwa City, Mr. Ota, who provided an overview of the city’s policies aimed at industrial transformation in the forestry sector. In particular, he explained the city’s comprehensive approach to “fully utilizing every tree in the region,” which includes infrastructure development and institutional reforms related to property rights among small-scale forest landowners.

Meeting with Mayor Ota of Maniwa City

One of the main objectives of this field study was to allow students to experience the realities of business and public policy while learning about the challenges and innovations introduced by various local stakeholders. Maniwa City is considered relatively advanced within Japan in terms of forest resource management and forestry-related industrial reform. Nevertheless, even here, the systems for effectively utilizing the large volume of unused timber in the mountains remain insufficient.
Through this experience, the students came to recognize that developing overseas markets for timber products and improving the productivity of local forest resources will be crucial for strengthening international competitiveness. With these insights, the group returned to Kyoto with new ideas and perspectives for further study.

Discussion at Meiken Kogyo’s CLT-built headquarters

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　阿部 龍一氏
（ハーバード大学東アジア言語文化学部教授

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　／同大学ライシャワー日本研究所日本宗教担当教授）
コロンビア大学宗教学部、助教授、准教授、同大学同学部学部長を経て現職。哲学博士（コロンビア大学宗教学部）。
研究分野は、仏教教理、仏教と文学、仏教と美術との関連、東アジアの密教史。現在は『法華経』本文の物語の文学的価値を再評価する研究。
主要著書・論文に、『評伝 良寛──わけへだてのない世を開く乞食僧』（ミネルヴァ書房「人と文化の探究」, 2023）、The Weaving of Mantra-Kūkai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse. Columbia University Press, 1999などがある。

【本企画の開催にあたって】
「『顕密仏教』は単なる歴史概念ではありません。各時代の人びとが社会の危機や変動に向き合う中で形づくられた宗教運動でした。分断が進む現代において、私たち自らの立脚点を問い直す契機になるはずです。」
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　――主催者代表――

「宗派の枠に閉じない議論を通して、日本仏教のダイナミズムを社会に開いていきたいと考えています。」

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　――阿部泰郎（本学文学部客員教授）

本シンポジウム、担当研究員への取材を希望される場合は、お問い合わせ先までご連絡ください。

問い合わせ先：龍谷大学 世界仏教文化研究センター
Tel　075-343-3458　cswbc2@ad.ryukoku.ac.jp 　https://rcwbc.ryukoku.ac.jp/