Japan's Agri-Food Exports: A Guide for Japanese Businesses

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) publishes agricultural, forestry and fishery product and food export figures every month, compiled from the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics. For Japanese restaurant companies opening abroad, and food companies that want to supply Japanese restaurants overseas, they are basic data on where Japanese food is spreading and which products have the wind behind them.

This guide reads the 2025 annual figures and January to July 2026 from the point of view of businesses in Japan. For the same data read from the side of restaurant owners abroad, with an eye on local sourcing and hiring, see Japanese food exports data.

1. Exports in 2025 and so far in 2026

Exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food were ¥1,700.5 billion in 2025, up ¥193.4 billion or 12.8% on the previous year (¥1,507.1 billion). It was the thirteenth record year in a row, and exports rose to every major destination.

Based on interviews with the trade, MAFF attributes the increase to larger volumes through existing channels and new channels, against a background of growing interest in Japanese food, greater awareness of Japanese food through inbound tourism and rising health consciousness.

Growth has continued into 2026. January to July exports totalled ¥1,042.3 billion, up 11.0% on the same period a year earlier. July alone was ¥144.6 billion (up 12.0%). August figures are due on 2 October 2026.

2. The 2030 targets and "earning from abroad"

The Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas (Cabinet decision, 11 April 2025) commits to strengthening the ability of Japan's farming, forestry, fisheries and food industries to earn from abroad, and sets three targets for 2030.

For restaurant companies, the second target is the one to watch. According to the Export Expansion Strategy (revised May 2025), these earnings include those from overseas expansion by the restaurant industry, alongside food manufacturing, wholesale and retail. To raise royalty income as well as returns on direct investment, the strategy says it will promote franchise expansion by restaurant companies, including smaller ones. In policy terms, exports and opening restaurants abroad are treated as one agenda.

3. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Within agricultural products, processed foods were ¥572.5 billion (up 7.2%) and alcoholic drinks ¥149.5 billion (up 11.8%). Agricultural products account for more than 60% of exports, and processed goods such as seasonings, alcohol and confectionery carry a lot of weight.

4. Top destinations and growth

The January to July 2026 columns show only the four destinations for which MAFF's monthly release gives amounts.

Exports to the US rose 13.7% in 2025 despite tariff measures introduced from April 2025, on strong demand for green tea and beef. Growth quickened to 18.1% in January to July 2026, led by yellowtail, green tea, and sauces and mixed seasonings. The largest increases in that period were to the US (¥29.2 billion), Vietnam (¥15.3 billion) and South Korea (¥12.2 billion).

5. Products: what grew and what fell

Products with the largest increases in 2025

January to July 2026

The biggest increases were green tea (+¥26.0 billion, mainly to the US, Germany and the UK), yellowtail (+¥20.0 billion, to the US, South Korea and Vietnam) and mackerel (+¥13.0 billion, to Vietnam, Egypt and Nigeria). The biggest falls included live eel (down ¥4.6 billion, to Taiwan) and sardines (down ¥3.4 billion).

2025 exports of products used in Japanese restaurants

6. How restaurant and food companies can read the data

Choosing where to open

Countries where exports are growing are also countries where the layer of importers and distributors handling Japanese food is getting thicker. For a restaurant company that wants to cook the same dishes with the same ingredients as in Japan, sourcing is easier to plan in these markets. But export figures include retail and manufacturers, so they do not measure the restaurant market itself. A separate MAFF survey estimates about 181,000 Japanese restaurants abroad in 2025, including 26,360 in the US and 63,500 in China. Country detail is in Japanese restaurants abroad: the data (Japanese).

Choosing menus and formats

MAFF attributes the growth in green tea to demand for matcha in lattes and sweets. It can be read as evidence that café and dessert demand is spreading abroad. Growth in whisky and sake raises the value of staff who can recommend drinks.

Planning people

The easier Japanese ingredients are to get, the more you need cooks who can use them well. Growth in seafood such as yellowtail and scallops feeds demand for people who can judge and break down fish. Staffing an overseas restaurant needs the same early attention in the opening plan as sourcing. See staffing plan for an overseas opening (Japanese) and HR for Japanese restaurant companies expanding abroad.

7. Government frameworks you can use

The Export Expansion Strategy includes several measures that concern businesses handling Japanese food abroad.

• Export support platforms. Made up mainly of JETRO's overseas offices and Japan's diplomatic missions, they form councils with Japanese businesses operating locally and local Japanese restaurants, and compile country reports on import rules and consumer preferences. The strategy says that, as Japanese restaurants multiply and their ownership becomes more multinational and localised, it will work with Japanese restaurants that do not yet use Japanese ingredients to open new sales channels.
• Certification of overseas stores supporting Japanese ingredients (海外における日本産食材サポーター店認定制度). The strategy says it will use this scheme to give priority support, for example through awards, to restaurants that understand Japanese food and culture and are keen to use Japanese ingredients.
• Developing foreign chefs. As a foundation for more Japanese restaurants that use Japanese ingredients continuously, the strategy lists training visits to Japan for foreign chefs of Japanese cuisine, skill certification and the appointment of Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassadors.
• Hands-on support for overseas expansion. This includes advisers from JETRO and SME Support Japan, long-term low-interest loans from Japan Finance Corporation, and legal and tax specialists in major markets.

8. Points to watch when reading the figures

• These are not restaurant purchases. Exports include goods for retail, ingredients for processing, and non-food items such as timber and ornamental carp.
• Small parcels are included. The 2025 total includes ¥103.1 billion of small parcel shipments. The January to July 2026 total includes small parcels for January to June.
• Destination is not always where it is eaten. Exports to hubs such as Hong Kong and Singapore may be consumed in other countries.
• Figures are revised. The 2025 figures have been revised on the basis of corrected Ministry of Finance trade statistics (確々報値).

General information, not trade or investment advice. Figures were checked against MAFF publications (compiled by MAFF from the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics) as of 22 September 2026.