Paper Day

What Is Paper Day?

Every December 16th is "Paper Day" (紙の記念日, Kami no Kinenbi) in Japan. On December 16, 1875, the "Shōshi Kaisha" (抄紙会社, "Paper Manufacturing Company") — established by industrialist Shibusawa Eiichi (渋沢栄一) and others — began operations at its mill in Ōji, Tokyo. This company, which later became Ōji Paper (王子製紙, now Ōji Holdings) — Japan's first modern Western-style paper mill, producing machine-made Western paper rather than the traditional handmade Japanese washi — was the beginning of Japan's modern paper industry.

Shibusawa Eiichi and Modern Japan

Shibusawa Eiichi (1840–1931) is one of the most significant figures in Japan's Meiji modernization — an industrialist and entrepreneur who is credited with founding or helping establish approximately 500 companies and 600 social institutions during his long career. His face appeared on Japan's new 10,000-yen banknote introduced in 2024. The Ōji paper mill was one of his early ventures, based on his recognition that Japan's modernizing society would require enormous quantities of Western-style paper for books, newspapers, government documents, and commerce.

Japan's Paper Industry

Japan developed a significant paper manufacturing industry from the 1875 Ōji mill, producing newsprint, writing paper, kraft paper, and specialty papers for export as well as domestic use. Japanese paper manufacturers — Ōji Holdings, Nippon Paper Industries, Daio Paper, and others — remain among the world's major paper producers. Japan has also maintained its traditional washi (和紙) handmade paper industry alongside the modern machine-made sector, with washi designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014.

Washi: Japan's Traditional Paper Heritage

Japanese handmade paper (washi, 和紙) — made from the inner bark of kozo, mitsumata, and gampi plants using traditional techniques that produce sheets of remarkable strength and beauty — has been produced in Japan for over 1,300 years. Washi is used for traditional arts including calligraphy, origami, and woodblock printing; for conservation and restoration of historical documents; and as a luxury material for stationery, bookbinding, and decorative arts. The contrast between the modern paper industry that Paper Day commemorates and the washi tradition it coexists with encapsulates Japan's characteristic navigation between modernity and tradition.

Fun Facts

• Origami's material: Origami (折り紙, paper folding) — one of Japan's most internationally recognized traditional arts — depends on the specific properties of Japanese paper: thin, strong, holds creases precisely, and available in numerous colors and patterns. The art form's global spread has created international demand for authentic Japanese origami paper.
• Newspaper consumption: Japan has historically been among the world's leading paper-consuming nations per capita, reflecting its strong newspaper reading culture, paper packaging traditions, and paper-based administrative culture — though digital media is reducing paper consumption significantly.