Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese cedar, an Asian native, is a member of the Family Cupressaceae (Cypress Family). [Until a recent revision, it was in another family, Family Taxodiaceae which incorporated into Family Cupressaceae.] Other members of the family are the Taxodium distichum (bald cypress), Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia), Sequoia sempervirens (redwood), Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar), Juniperus ashei (Ashe's juniper), and Cupressus nootkatensis (Alaska cedar). Pines, such as Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine); firs, such as Abies balsamea (balsam fir); larches, such as Larix laricina (tamarack) and spruces, such as Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce), are members of the Family Pinaceae (Pine Family). Both the Cupressaceae and the Pinaceae are in the Order Pinales which also has four other families.

The taxonomy is hierarchical. For instance, for Cryptomeria japonica it would look like this:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Coniferophyta,

Class: Pinopsida

Order: Pinales

Family: Cupressaceae

Genus: Cryptomeria

Species: japonica

Pinus ponderosa would look like this:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Coniferophyta,

Class: Pinopsida

Order: Pinales

Family: Pinaceae

Genus: Pinus

Species: ponderosa

So, Cryptomeria japonica is in the same Kingdom, Division, Class and Order as the pines, but it is in a different Family, Genus and Species. C. japonica is pine-like in that it is evergreen and reproduces from seeds carried in cones. They are different from pines in that they have scale-like leaves; whereas pines have needle-like leaves. Since you are in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7 in Raleigh, North Carolina, your tree may turn brown or purple in the wintertime, rather than stay completely green.

So, the short answer to your question is that your C. japonica isn't a pine but it is closely related to pines. It is certainly more "pine-like" than it is "oak-like" or "elm-like".