Japan’s exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, along with food, reached ¥1.7 trillion in 2025, marking a 12.8% increase from the previous year and setting a record for the 13th consecutive year, the agriculture ministry reported Tuesday.
Exports to the United States increased despite the high tariffs imposed by President Trump’s administration, while shipments to China also rose, even amid ongoing import restrictions on Japanese fishery products. However, the overall total fell short of the government’s ¥2 trillion target for 2025.
In 2020, the government set targets to raise exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to ¥2 trillion by 2025 and ¥5 trillion by 2030. To meet these goals, Japan must further diversify its export markets and strengthen production capacity.
Exports to all of Japan’s top ten destinations rose compared with the previous year. The United States remained the largest destination, with shipments up 13.7% to ¥276.2 billion, representing 17.3% of the total. Green tea, including matcha, led exports with an 82.6% surge.
Hong Kong ranked second at ¥222.8 billion, up 0.8%, followed by Taiwan in third at ¥181.2 billion, rising 6.4%.
China ranked fourth with ¥179.9 billion in exports, a 7.0% increase driven by demand for nishikigoi carp, beer, and logs. This marked the first increase in exports to China in three years.
By product category, green tea posted the largest gain at ¥35.7 billion, followed by scallops at ¥21.1 billion and yellowtail at ¥11.3 billion. Meanwhile, exports declined by ¥5.9 billion for processed scallops and by ¥5.8 billion for apples.
Rice exports climbed 15.4% to ¥13.8 billion due to higher prices, though shipment volume rose only slightly, up 3.2% to 46,573 tons.
The government plans to raise rice exports, including precooked products, to nearly 350,000 tons by 2030. On Tuesday, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Minister Norikazu Suzuki said the goal is attainable, provided the government plays a leading role in further expanding overseas markets.
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