U.S. Tariffs Overshadow Japan's Agriculture, Food Exports

   Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)--Reciprocal tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump are feared to throw cold water on Japan's efforts to expand its exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products to the United States.
   Last year, Japan exported a record 1,507.1-billion-yen worth of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products. Of the total, exports to the United States grew 17.8 pct from the previous year to 242.9 billion yen, surpassing those to China and Hong Kong, which had long been Japan's top export destinations.
   The United States is a key market for Japanese exports, with green tea, beef, rice, scallops and alcoholic beverages, including sake, especially gaining traction due to an increase in Japanese restaurants.
   "We were just beginning (to boost sales in the United States)," said an official at Hakkaisan Brewery Co., which produces the Hakkaisan brand of sake.
   The sake maker, based in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata, has been expanding its overseas operations, aided by the listing of traditional sake brewing as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

(2025/04/17-09:00)

To read a full story, please click here to find out how to subscribe.