Japan’s agricultural exports hit a 13-year high

On February 3, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and food will reach 1.7005 trillion yen by 2025. This represents a 12.8% year-on-year increase, marking the 13th consecutive year of record highs. Significant growth was seen in green tea, beef, and yellowtail. However, this fell short of the Japanese government’s 2025 target of 2 trillion yen.

Agricultural products increased by 12.1% to 1.1008 trillion yen, forestry products such as logs increased by 10.1% to 73.5 billion yen, and fishery products increased by 17.2% to 423.1 billion yen.

All of the top 10 export destinations saw year-on-year growth, with all except mainland China and Hong Kong reaching record highs. The United States ranked first with a 13.7% increase, reaching 276.2 billion yen. Despite the Trump administration imposing retaliatory tariffs on Japan in April, demand for popular Japanese green tea and Wagyu beef remained strong in the US. South Korea and Thailand saw increases of 20%, and Vietnam also saw an increase of 10%.

By country and region, exports to mainland China, ranking fourth, increased by 7.0% to 179.9 billion yen. Koi fish and beer saw growth. On the other hand, exports decreased by 2.2% in December alone. The Chinese government will effectively cease imports of Japanese seafood in November 2025.

Regarding the decrease in exports to mainland China in December, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries explained, “Due to the later Chinese New Year compared to last year, the peak demand season has changed.” Regarding the current state of Sino-Japanese relations, the official stated, “The extent of the impact on export value in 2026 is still unclear.”

Looking at export values ​​by category, green tea, popular in Europe, the Americas, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), saw a significant increase of 98.2%, reaching 72.1 billion yen. Demand for green tea powder used in desserts and other products increased.

Masahiro Nagata, president of THE MATCHA TOKYO, a company that operates 55 matcha specialty stores in Asia and the Middle East, stated, “High-quality Japanese matcha is gaining popularity as a healthy and novel cultural experience.”

Seafood exports surpassed 400 billion yen for the first time. The popularity of Japanese cuisine, including sushi, is rising, and sales of high-end seafood are strong overseas.

Scallop exports reached 90.6 billion yen, a 30% increase. In the main producing areas of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures, high water temperatures and insufficient food for shellfish led to reduced production, but this was offset by a doubling of unit prices. Fisheries workers in Hokkaido revealed that, in fact, “due to increased demand from overseas, there is a shortage of scallops sold domestically in Japan.”

Yellowtail, the second-largest export category after scallops, saw a 27.4% increase to 52.8 billion yen. Yellowtail, rich in fat, is also popular as a sushi ingredient, and its sales have expanded to Europe, America, Asia, and the Middle East. Exports of saury and mackerel, intended for canning and processing in Thailand and Vietnam, have increased.

Oyster exports reached 4.2 billion yen, a 12.2% decrease. Due to high water temperatures in the Seto Inland Sea and other factors, a large number of shellfish died, and aquaculture farmers in Hiroshima Prefecture said, “It’s impossible to export them.” Oysters take about two years to mature, so it may take some time before exports recover.

Exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products are also vulnerable to climate change. Due to insufficient efforts to secure large-fruited varieties favored in Taiwan and other regions, Japanese apple exports decreased by 28.6%, falling to 14.4 billion yen.

The Japanese government has set a target of increasing exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and food to 5 trillion yen by 2030. At a press conference on February 3, Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki stated that the failure to achieve the 2025 target was due to “insufficient reliance on export systems specific to certain countries and regions, and inadequate promotion through local commercial channels.”