Chris Loew

The first fully in-person Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit (TSSS) in four years – after online-only events throughout the Covid-19 pandemic – ran from 17 to 19 October, and the event highlighted human rights issues in the seafood supply chain in the wake of the bombshell Outlaw Ocean Project report on 9 October.

Since its inception in 2015, the event, co-hosted and financially supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and

A handful of Japanese supermarket chains, including AEON, the Japan Consumers’ Cooperative Union (JCCU), and Seven & i Holdings, have been early adopters in the country of procuring and marketing eco-labeled seafood products – with the latter two companies setting specific sales targets.

In 2018, JCCU set a goal that Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)- and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)-certified product sales would comprise

In late August, China submitted a notification of emergency measures to the World Trade Organization (WTO), stating that it planned to suspend imports of all Japanese-origin aquatic products as a result of the controversial release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Soon after the notification, Japan’s delegation to the WTO submitted a counterargument on 4 September challenging the ban that emphasizes the

What was once a simple fishcake shop in a Japanese seaside town has now grown into a budding tourism complex teaching the history and process of fish paste manufacturing to visitors, while simultaneously continuing to develop innovative products.

Suzuhiro Group started as a side company for the fourth-generation owner of an Odawara-based family fish shop in the 1860s, who made and sold kamaboko fishcakes and handled the regular tasks of running

Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture experienced the worst case of red tide damage in the region’s history in early August, leading the prefectural governor to call on the country’s national government for additional aid to compensate affected aquaculture companies and research how to better anticipate red tide to prevent future damage.

The crisis stems back to late July, when people began to notice areas of dark brown water in

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that controversially released treated wastewater into the ocean in late August, began accepting applications for compensation from fishermen and businesses that have suffered reputational damage about the water release.

By offering compensation for reputational damage, TEPCO is fulfilling a promise made right before the water release on 22 August,

Restaurant operators across Japan, many still working to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, are now facing new financial difficulties as the country’s zero-zero loans come due. 

Japan’s zero-zero loans were loans the government handed out during the pandemic to prevent mass closures of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The purpose of the zero-zero loans, most of which came with zero interest and

Russia has banned imports of Japanese seafood, following China’s lead in the wake of the controversial release of treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

“As a precautionary measure, the Rosselkhoznadzor joins China's temporary restrictive measures against imports of fish and seafood from Japan from October 16, 2023,” Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision

After a year-long assessment process, Japan’s Marine Eco-Label (MEL) certification standard, which has recently become the primary standard for many of the country’s feed producers, received recertification approval from the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) under Version 2.0 of its Global Benchmark Tool.

The MEL certification was created in 2007 to promote its recognition in the Japanese market, with the aim to gain wider

Japan’s furusato nozei – the country’s hometown tax program – is coming to the aid of scallop producers hit hard by China’s ban on Japanese seafood.

Under the program, a taxpayer who designates a portion of their taxes toward an area in which they don’t live can receive a gift valued at around 30 percent of the tax amount. The program aims to promote local products, and seafood has proven to be a popular item