Not just sushi: aquaculture in Japan

There are serious restrictions on the increase of fish production in the country in the short-term, but the growth of the fish farming sector currently remains one of the priorities for Japan’s government. This goes hand in hand with the major reform of the country’s fisheries sector, which was launched by the state in 2018 in order to strengthen the position of Japan as one of the world’s largest fish-producing and consuming nations.

According to Daiki Komatsu, an official spokesman of the division of Cultivation and Aquaculture of Japanese Fisheries Agency, the Japanese farmed fish market has been generally rising in recent years (up by 35% in terms of value during the period of 2022-2023). According to data from the Japanese Fisheries Agency, it reached almost 400 billion yen (£2.1bn) in 2023.

Currently the development of the sector is regulated by the existing state strategy For the Growth of Aquaculture in Japan, which runs until 2030. This focuses particular attention on increasing exports of farmed fish from Japan.

The strategy designates yellowtail, red sea bream, bluefin tuna, salmon/trout, and more recently farmed fish species (grouper, etc) as strategic aquaculture products for Japan and sets targets for export volume and value for each product for 2030.

Komatsu said that the Fisheries Agency has many subsidy options available for the growth of aquaculture and can also support the sector through encouraging the introduction of some modern technologies and promotion of more active use of alternative feed. The agency also focuses on sustainability as a tool to expand the spread of farmed fish production in Japan and as a selling point to enter new export markets (primarily those of south-east Asia).

According to Makiko Karasawa, Regional Business Development Manager at Indoguna Singapore Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Thailand’s largest conglomerate, CP (Charoen Pokphand) Group, in south-east Asia, the demand for sustainable seafood decreased due to the emphasis on cheapness during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has now returned, and there is a good chance that awareness of sustainability will increase in the future.

Karasawa and other Japanese analysts in the field of aquaculture believe that should provide a good chance for Japanese fish farming companies, which use the principles of sustainability in their production processes to further strengthen their position in the markets of regional states.

In the meantime, in addition to exports, there are plans for the development of full-scale fish farming in Japan, paying a particular focus on a certain list of species.

As Takahiko Okada, Director of the Kindai University Aquaculture Centre, recently said in an interview with the Japanese Nikkei magazine, there are plans to produce yellowtail, amberjack, bluefin tuna and Japanese eel on a full-scale basis by 2050, which involves all stages of production and growing.

According to Okada, the development of the full-scale fish farming target is set out in the “Green Food System Strategy”, which was earlier approved by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

In recent years, the Japanese farmed fish sector has faced consolidation and the appearance of large businesses. The number of operators has decreased, due to the ever-growing costs and lack of workers for the industry, caused by a rapidly ageing local population. The attraction of personnel (including those from abroad) for the industry is currently causing serious difficulties for Japanese fish farmers, as most of the potential workers they are looking to attract prefer to go to Australia, New Zealand and some Western nations, where working conditions are usually better, while salaries are higher.

Currently production materials (especially feed costs) account for the majority of expenses for Japanese fish farmers, making profitability low and making it difficult to obtain the funds necessary for business improvement and productivity improvement from farmers’ own funds.

Director of the Aquaculture Division of the Japanese Fisheries Agency, Hitoshi Fujita said: “In order for Japan’s aquaculture products to be evaluated in domestic and international markets and to be supplied steadily in the future, it is necessary to develop fast-growing varieties, develop alternative fishmeal feed, reduce manpower and labour, and reduce costs by making effective use of fishing grounds.”

In the meantime, controversy about wastewater released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has damaged the reputation of sea fishing around at least part of the Japanese coast and has also hurt fish farming in Japan in general. Since the release of treated water from the reactor, China has suspended imports of Japanese seafood products, and Hong Kong has suspended the import of seafood from 10 prefectures, including Fukushima and Miyagi.

Hitoshi Endo, a fish farmer who grows and processes scallops and sea squirts at Yorisohama in Ishinomaki City, said in an interview with Japanese business paper NHC that he has been exporting scallops to Hong Kong for about 10 years, and in some years he made about 25 million yen (£130,000) in sales. However, he said, he has lost his sales channel due to the import suspension measures following the release of treated water. It is currently difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to find other overseas export destinations, and other Japanese fish farmers are facing similar problems.