The newsprint recycling in Japan, overviewed in this paper, has been expanded constantly in last twenty years. The average recycling ratio of newspaper to the newsprint production in 2002 has reached about 76%, which is higher than the paper recycling ratio, 60%, to whole paper productions. The newsprint recycling ratio in Japan could almost met the maximum level because the collecting ratio of newspaper without fliers can be estimated to be about 80-90%. Therefore, it would hardly rise so rapidly in recycled fiber content any further. Another constraint for raising recycled fiber content to newsprint especially in Japan should be high quality requirements from domestic newsprint pressrooms. Not merely runnability but also pritability, including the capability for achieving high graphic quality, is required even for the newsprint grades with high recycled fiber content, so that it should be necessary for newsprint manufacturers to develop and introduce new technologies in order to maintain such qualities.
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