| Abstract: | Japan is the highest per capita consumer of packaging materials in the world. The Japanese packaging materials industry has an annual value of US$50 billion. There is a close relationship between the food and packaging industries in Japan. There is a tendency toward ingenuity in packaging designs in Japan, and Japanese food manufacturers use high-tech packaging techniques. At the same time, there is still widespread usage of traditional packaging materials (i.e., wood, earthenware, ceramics, and bamboo). Available space, energy, and a severe lack of natural resources directly affect the food packaging industry in Japan. |
