Browse Data and Analysis

In Japan Fiscal Year 2022, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) awarded 677,714 metric tons of rice through the Minimum Access import system.

On April 21, Japan's National Tax Agency opened a public comment period for the Guidelines for Handling Alcoholic Beverages with Organisms Developed with Genome Editing Technology. The public comment period will close on May 25, 2023.

On April 3, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced tariff-rate quota (TRQ) volumes for dairy products during Japanese Fiscal Year 2023 (April to March).

Japan announced low tariff-rate quotas for butter (8,000 MT) and non-fat dried milk (750 MT) in Japanese fiscal year 2023.

The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) will enter Year 5 of agreement implementation on April 1, 2023, eliminating tariffs on multiple products with staging categories where tariffs were reduced in four annual increments beginning on April 1 of Year 2 (April 1, 2020).

In MY 2021/22, the total value of Japan’s soybean imports reached a historical record while rapeseed crush hit the lowest point in 10 years as rapeseed imports from Canada declined.

Japan introduced an emergency program to induce early slaughtering of less-productive dairy cows in March 2023 as an incentive to reduce excess milk production and support dairy farm management.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Japan has announced an agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to lower High Pathogenic Avian Influenza related trade restrictions on U.S. poultry products exported to Japan, starting April 3rd.

On March 20, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) added a waxy corn product to their lists of genome edited products not subject to regulations for genetically engineered food, feed, and biodiversity.

This report highlights Japan’s food processing industry, notable trends, and a market snapshot of western Japan.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) proposed revisions to Japan’s maximum residue levels for 11 agricultural chemicals (Ametoctradin, Amisulbrom, Flumioxazin, Flupyradifurone, Glufosinate, Mefentrifluconazole, Metaldehyde, Simeconazole, Cefuroxime, Dicloxacillin, and Amprolium) for various agricultural commodities.

FAS/Tokyo projects reduced corn imports and feed consumption in MY2022/23 due to large outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza as well as increased competition from domestic feed rice, followed by a recovery of corn consumption in MY2023/24.