Among home-grown agricultural and livestock products with an annual export exceeding 10 billion yen, both of Japanese beef and green tea set new records of exports in 2016, the latest Trade Statistics of the Ministry of Finance revealed.
Japanese beef exports enjoyed a larger growth in overseas markets because of increased recognition of its product name “Wagyu” as well as a worldwide boom in the popularity of Japanese cuisine.
Overseas sales of Japanese beef increased to 13.5 billion yen in 2016, 23 percent up over the previous year, breaking the record for six straight years.
The amount of Japanese beef exports totaled 1908 tons in 2016, 18 percent up over 2015, mainly thanks to a trend of yen’s depreciation.
Shipment of the exported Japanese beef to Hong Kong tremendously was boosted by 24 percent to 658 tons in 2016, rising to 4 billion yen in value, 33 percent up over the previous year.
Sales of the Wagyu beef also increased in the U.S. market to 2.1 billion yen in 2016, 24 percent more than in 2015. The amount of the Japanese beef exported to U.S. also rose to 244 tons, 19 percent up over 2015.
The export of Japanese green tea increased to 11.6 billion yen, 14 percent up, with foreign consumers’ demand being continuously cultivated, not only because a number of tea special shops has been growing in many countries, but also because inbound tourists have been increasingly bringing the green teas with them to their home countries.