Japanese food exports shoot up for the 1st at 500 billion yen for January-June 2021. In fact, the agriculture ministry said that Japan’s exports on farm and food products in Jan-Jun surged 30.8% for a year before to 540.7 billion yen – and that’s just for the 1st half of the year.
Clearly, japanese food export sector is on an upward trend.
And, as the 80/20 rule says – “80% of results is defined by 20% of the factors”. That is an outstanding result. But what are these food exports that brought Japan global success?
Top Food Exports from Japan
Are you curious about this list? Here are the top 4 japanese food exports that help make these great things happen.
Scallops (fresh, chilled, or frozen)
Japanese scallops exports totaled 47.68 billion yen with a 3.1% year-on-year increase.
Officially called Yesso scallop, it is a bivalve in the Pectinidae family.
These can be eaten raw as sashimi or sushi, or it can be cooked for use in various dishes.
While similar scallops are also farmed in South America, China, and other areas, japanese scallops are valued highly for their taste, size, and quality.
Sauces, Seasonings, etc.
Japanese sauces/seasonings exports totaled 35.54 billion yen with a 10% year-on-year increase. We have shoyu, tsuyu, ponzu, su, etc. These are used categorically in japanese cuisine but are also employed in other cuisines. The value of this export category totaled to $449 million in 2020. The top export destinations include the USA, Korea, Hong Kong, and China.
Soft Drinks
Japanese soft drinks exports totals to 28.17 billion yen with a 15% year-on-year increase.
We have a huge list that are considered players under this export category, which are:: Orange Juices, Grapefruit juice, Juice of any other citrus fruit, Pineapple juice, Tomato Juice, Grape Juice, Apple Juice, Juice of any other single fruit or vegetable, Mixtures of Juices, Mineral waters and aerated waters, and other soft drinks.
Top export destinations include China ($92M), Hong Kong SAR ($48M) and the USA ($43M).
Mackerel
The japanese mackerel exports totaled 26.69 billion yen with a 22% year-on-year increase.
Japan has been a net export of Mackerel since the 2000s. It’s a classic ingredient in Japanese cuisine – either simmered in miso sauce, grilled with salt, or cured.
In the past years, the top export destinations for Japanese Mackerels have been in China (47,700 tons), South Korea (28,500 tons), and Thailand (23,300 tons).
Conclusion
Looking at the top – it’s one completely various list, it is interesting. Clearly, other nations want specific things from each other. And, Japan clearly has a lot of things and unique food, ingredients, beverages, etc. to offer to other nations in the world. Did this list excite you? Share with us in the comments what export products from Japan you would like to try.
References:
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00400/beefing-up-japan%E2%80%99s-food-and-drink-exports.html
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/04/business/food-exports-japan/
https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/trends/foods/ingredients/scallops.html
https://www.jetro.go.jp/ext_images/en/reports/market/pdf/guidebook_food_soft_drinks.pdf