Overview
- At a Jan. 13 inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the government reaffirmed its ¥5 trillion agricultural and food export target for 2030 after 12 straight years of record highs.
- The plan prioritizes selling into local distribution channels overseas through an Export Support Platform, with a push into supermarkets and restaurants using Japan’s strengths in high-value and frozen products.
- Officials set a goal to diversify export destinations by backing market research and promotions in countries with low current volumes and by leveraging diplomatic and tourism events to expand sales routes.
- Tokyo will accelerate talks to lift or ease import regulations and advance animal and plant quarantine negotiations, with the state taking the lead and drawing on the FY2025 supplementary budget.
- Product development includes a focus on processed rice products led by the agriculture minister, while Chunichi reports diversification efforts around alcohol, soft drinks and confectionery for China-heavy flows and alcohol, yellowtail and scallops for the U.S., citing China’s suspension of Japanese seafood import procedures and higher U.S. tariffs.