TOKYO — July 22, 2014 — Businesses operating at Japan’s largest fish market are increasingly trying to boost exports, sensing demand overseas for such fare as octopus, abalone and stonefish sold with the renowned Tsukiji brand.
Seafood consumption in Japan has been declining in recent years as people shift to meat, which is generally cheaper and seen as easier to prepare.
But the traders also believe the market’s planned move in fiscal 2016 from its historic but poky site in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward, to Toyosu in Koto Ward is a good time for them to make full use of more modern premises and expand their business reach.
“The question is whether we stick to our present fish business or whether we seek new commercial opportunities,” said Naohide Kametani, an executive board member of the Wholesales Cooperative of Tokyo Fish Market, which represents about 680 middlemen at Tsukiji.
They buy fish delivered to the market from around the country from wholesalers and sell it to fishmongers, restaurant owners and chefs. But the traders often lack export skills because their business is focused on the domestic market.
To overcome this, they are taking training courses coordinated by the government-backed Japan External Trade Organization. Among the skills it aims to teach are how to handle shipping procedures, product inspection, sales and marketing.
And the timing chimes with something the central government wants, too.
In the growth strategy touted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the government aims to boost annual fishery product exports to ¥350 billion in 2020, up from ¥170 billion in 2012.
Read the full story at The Japan Times