The war in Ukraine has inflated the cost of timber in Japan.  Russia’s retaliatory measures against economic sanctions have caused the supply of Russian timber to stagnate, and the Japanese government has introduced an emergency measure to counteract the price increases, which are affecting Japanese people’s lives in such areas as housing and furniture purchases.  “Wood prices are rising due to the Ukraine crisis,” a man was told by a homebuilder in early May. “You have to either increase your budget or reduce the number of rooms.”  The 36-year-old company ...