July 23, 2024

Japan's fishing and aquaculture production lower compared to marine imports in 2022

According to the recently published 2023 White Paper on Fisheries, Japan's fishing industry and aquaculture production volume in 2022 was 3.9 million tonnes, down 24,000 tonnes (5.8%) from the previous year due to poor catches of fish, including bonito and mackerel, Nippon.com reported.

Despite the decrease in volume, the production value increased by 14.8% year-on-year to JPY 1.6 trillion (US$10.2 billion) due to soaring fish prices.

Simultaneously, in 2022, there was a sharp increase in the value of marine product imports from overseas to JPY 2.1 trillion (US$13.4 billion), far exceeding the domestic production value. In 2023, the import value fell by 2.7% year-on-year to JPY 2.0 trillion (US$12.8 billion), remaining significantly high.

Japan's self-sufficiency rate for edible seafood was approximately 56% in 2022. This rate has been on a long-term downward trajectory since peaking at 113% in fiscal 1964.

Over the past decade, the number of people working in the fishing and aquaculture industries has declined by more than 30%, dropping from 180,000 in 2013 to 123,000 in 2022.

The 2022 production output and production value by type of fish in the domestic fishing and aquaculture industries showed that tuna fishing and buri (yellowtail) aquaculture were joint top with JPY 139 billion (US$891 million) each. This was followed by eel aquaculture with JPY 89 billion (US$570 million), scallop fishing at ¥88 billion (US$564 million), and nori seaweed aquaculture at JPY 83 billion (US$532 million).

The top three import values by type of fish in 2022 were salmon/trout at JPY 278 billion (US$1.7 billion), bonito/tuna at JPY 232 billion (US$1.4 billion), and shrimp at ¥221 billion (US$1.4 billion). The countries with the highest import value were China, Chile, and the US. Japan mainly imported eel and squid from China, and salmon and trout from Chile.

While Japan is known for its love of fish and other seafood, per capita consumption is on the decline, going against global trends. In 2021, Indonesia surpassed Japan's per capita seafood consumption, with Indonesia at 44.6 kg compared to Japan's 41.3 kg.

-      Nippon.com