Japan’s Farm Exports Rise 3.7% To Record 1.5 Trillion Yen In 2024

Japan’s exports of agricultural, fisheries, and forestry products rose 3.7% in 2024 from the previous year to a record 1.5 trillion yen ($9.6 billion), driven by increasing global demand for Japanese cuisine, the government announced, Kyodo News reported.

Fishery product shipments to China plummeted 89.9% to just 6.1 billion yen, as bans on scallops and sea cucumbers—previously major exports—severely impacted trade.

The 2024 figure marked the 12th consecutive year of record-breaking exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Japan has set a target of increasing farm and seafood exports to 2 trillion yen by 2025 to counterbalance the economic impact of its shrinking domestic population.

After announcing the latest results, Agriculture Minister Taku Eto acknowledged that the goal is a "high hurdle but by no means impossible to achieve if we continue to develop production" in line with market demands worldwide.

However, exports to China plunged 29.1% to 168.1 billion yen for the second consecutive year, largely due to China’s continued import ban on Japanese seafood following the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Fishery product shipments to China plummeted 89.9% to just 6.1 billion yen, as bans on scallops and sea cucumbers—previously major exports—severely impacted trade. Japanese whisky sales also declined amid China’s economic downturn.

In 2024, the United States became Japan’s top export destination, followed by Hong Kong and Taiwan. Shipments to the U.S. surged 17.8% year-over-year to 242.9 billion yen, accounting for nearly 20% of total exports, Mainichi Shimbun also reported.