Japanese maples should be pruned to remove deadwood every year. This project should be done before the maples leaf out so the Winter is an excellent time of year to do this. The tree pruned in this video is Acer palmatum var. dissectum but this pruning can be done on any Japanese maple.
The deadwood is white or grayish-white in color so it is very easy to see against the red color of the live wood. If you've never pruned your Japanese maple, there will be a lot of deadwood. Japanese maples with a lot of deadwood become stressed. Removing the deadwood relieves congestion and promotes good air circulation and will improve the health of your tree.
Once the deadwood is all removed, live wood can be trimmed as necessary for aesthetics. If live wood is pruned later in the Winter, some sap flow will occur. This is not a problem, but too much pruning over the summer can weaken the tree, so most of this type of pruning should be done in the Winter or very early Spring.
Once this type of pruning is done every year, there will be not be an overwhelming amount of deadwood the following Spring.

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