Abstract
The annual sale of coated printing paper in Japan was more than 7 million tonnes in 2007, but there has been a continuous decline year on year and it is expected to be less than 6 million tonnes in the current year, 2012. In particular, the domestic production of coated printing paper has decreased noticeably whereas the amount imported has increased six-fold in 5 years. Our analyses of imported lightweight coated (LWC) and A2 grade paper showed that the imported LWC had higher opacity, lower brightness, and comparable printing qualities to domestic products, while the imported A2 grade had a higher ash content (= heavier coated weight) and it contained mechanical pulp, but exhibited equivalent printing qualities. Therefore, it can be suggested that domestic manufacturers should continue to reduce production costs and should promptly realign some of their old-fashioned business customs to cope with international competition.
