CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Hay fever is quite common in Japan. It is attributed to a post-war reforestation initiative that saw trees being planted quickly to support the nation’s building sector. Japanese forests were allowed to increase in density when the cost of imported building materials fell in the 1970s and 1980s.

Detailed explanation-2: -Hay fever in Japan (, kafunshō, “pollen illness") is most commonly caused by pollen from Cryptomeria japonica (known as sugi in Japanese and often translated as “cedar” though it is not a member of the Cedrus genus) and Japanese cypress (known as hinoki), two native Japanese tree species.

Detailed explanation-3: -The types of pollens that trigger allergic reactions are Japanese cedar, Hinoki cypress, and pine trees pollen. Of these three, the one most people have a reaction to is the Japanese cedar pollen.

Detailed explanation-4: -Japanese cedar (Sugi) (From February to April) Japanese cypress (Hinoki) (From mid-March to early May) Rice plant (Ine) (From May to mid-July, and mid-August to mid-October) Ragweed (Butakusa) (From mid-August to October) Artemisia (Yomogi) (From mid-August to October) 20-Mar-2019