Japan’s seafood industry faces challenges amid declining self-sufficiency, export setbacks

JAPAN – Japan’s seafood industry is navigating turbulent waters, as recent data highlights a significant decline in self-sufficiency and substantial challenges in export markets. 

The country’s self-sufficiency rate for edible seafood has plummeted to approximately 56%, a stark contrast from the 114% reported six decades ago. 

This shift reflects the broader struggles within Japan’s fishing and aquaculture sectors.

According to the 2023 White Paper on Fisheries, Japan’s fishing and aquaculture industries produced a total of 3.9 million tonnes of marine products in 2022. 

This figure represents a decrease of 5.8%, or 24,000 tonnes, from the previous year. 

Japan remains one of the world’s top consumers of seafood, importing US$15 billion worth of seafood products in 2022, making it the third-largest seafood importer globally. 

Imports now satisfy half of the country’s seafood demand, underscoring the reliance on foreign suppliers. 

The United States ranks as Japan’s third-largest seafood supplier, providing products like salmon, cod, pollock, herring, crab, and lobster. 

In turn, Japan is the third-largest market for U.S. seafood exports, which amounted to $708 million, or 13% of all U.S. seafood exports in 2022.

The Japanese seafood industry has encountered various highs and lows recently. 

Notably, Japan’s seafood exports to China saw a dramatic decline in 2023, disrupting the nation’s ambitious export growth plans. 

This downturn followed China’s total ban on Japanese seafood imports in August 2023, prompted by Japan’s release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean. 

Although limited exports to Hong Kong persist, the ban has significantly impacted Japan’s export figures.

In fiscal year 2023, Japanese seafood exports to China dropped by 57% compared to the previous year, falling from JPY 74.6 billion (US$474.8 million) to JPY 32 billion (US$203.7 million). 

Overall, Japan’s seafood exports, including fish, shellfish, pearls, coral, and ornamental fish, decreased by 17% from FY 2022, reaching JPY 218.5 billion (US$1.39 billion). 

Consequently, the United States has overtaken China as Japan’s primary seafood customer during this period.

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