Japan’s Food Exports Reach 1.7005 Trillion Yen | Record High for the 13th Consecutive Year

It is no longer unusual to see Japanese tea, wagyu beef, and scallops in supermarkets overseas. From the 2025 export results released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in February 2026, we read how far Japanese food has reached beyond Japan.

1.7005 trillion yen, up 12.8% year on year

In 2025, exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products totaled 1.7005 trillion yen, an increase of 193.4 billion yen (12.8%) from the previous year. This marked the 13th consecutive year of record highs. The breakdown was 1.1008 trillion yen for agricultural products (up 12.1%), 423.1 billion yen for fishery products (up 17.2%), 73.5 billion yen for forestry products (up 10.1%), and 103.1 billion yen for small-lot cargo.

Exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products in 2025
・Total: 1.7005 trillion yen (+12.8% year on year)
・Agricultural products: 1.1008 trillion yen / fishery products: 423.1 billion yen / forestry products: 73.5 billion yen
・Top export destinations: United States 276.2 billion yen, Hong Kong 222.8 billion yen, Taiwan 181.2 billion yen, China 179.9 billion yen

Items that grew

By item, beef grew to about 73.1 billion yen (up 12.8%), and scallops to about 56.4 billion yen (up 39.8%). Demand for green tea and beef is said to have been strong in the United States. For more on the growth in green tea, 72 billion yen driven by matcha lattes and sweets we covered it in detail in this article.

Dining out and memories of travel

Behind the growth in exports are the spread of Japanese restaurants overseas and the presence of people who discovered the flavors of Japan through travel there. The number of Japanese restaurants overseas is 181,000 restaurants. People look for and buy the foods they ate on a trip even after returning home. That kind of flow is adding up in the numbers.

Reference: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, “2025 Export Results for Agricultural, Forestry, Fishery and Food Products” (released February 3, 2026)

—The Value Village Editorial Team