THE PAST AND THE FUTURE OF CUT ROSE PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY IN JAPAN

Around 1920 the cut rose was first introduced into Japan. The industry developed smoothly. However, the production was completely stopped during World War II, returning in 1948. The cut flower production of roses continuously increased and became the second largest item in Japan by 1992. Along with the economy situation since 1997, the production area and number of produced stem, has decreased. In 2006, the production number was down to 370 million, and the share of imported roses increased to 18.3% by 2006. It seems very dark for the future of Japanese commercial cut rose production. There are several possibilities to survive versus import roses. 1) Selecting the correct cultivars, 2) differentiate by quality, and 3) develop a new production and logistic system that can leave profits.