Chris Loew

Chris Loew

Contributing Editor reporting from Osaka, Japan

Chris Loew reports from Osaka, Japan as a contributing editor for SeafoodSource.com. In addition to writing for SeafoodSource.com, he covers Japan for stock-investing newsletter Global Investing. He co-authored a college language text, “Healthcare English:  Read, Write and Speak It.” When not writing, he proofreads Japanese-to-English translations. Chris is a 1990 graduate of The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. After graduation, he worked for two years in the purchasing department of a Japanese meat importer, and for five years as export director for two Seattle food companies, selling to customers in the Far East, and arranging shipping and export documentation for mixed containers of frozen foods.

Published on
March 25, 2022

Japanese companies are increasingly creating high-tech solutions for problems faced in fishing and aquaculture, using things like artificial intelligence, robots, and more.

At the 24th Japan International Seafood Show – scheduled for 24 to 26 August at Tokyo Big Sight (officially known as Tokyo International Exhibition Center) – several companies plan to show off some of the new tech at a co-event called Fish Next Technology EXPO.

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Published on
March 22, 2022

Japan will follow America’s lead by revoking Russia’s most-favored-nation (MFN) status, resulting in higher prices to Japanese consumers for most imports from the country.

MFN status allows a country to receive the best trade terms given by its trading partner, such as the lowest tariffs or highest import quota, ensuring all countries with the status are treated equally. By revoking the status, Japan will subject imports from Russia

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Published on
March 17, 2022

Japan Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Genjiro Kaneko traveled to Saga Prefecture on 5 March, where he heard complaints from fishermen that fish and seaweed harvests had become poor as a result of a land reclamation project.

The Isahaya Bay reclamation project constructed a dike and sluice gate to close off an arm of the Ariaka Sea and turn 1,550 hectares (3,830 acres) of tidal flats into farmland. The gate was closed to block off

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Published on
March 11, 2022

Japan’s legislature approved the administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2022 on 22 February, and with it, approved a series of fisheries-related expenses 

Photo courtesy of Dane

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Published on
March 10, 2022

Japanese fish dealers are reporting a lack of available farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway, which they have attributed to the closure of Russian airspace due to that country's conflict with Ukraine 

Photo courtesy of Pierre-Yves

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Published on
March 8, 2022

Suita City, Osaka, Japan-based Akindo Sushiro ran a nationwide campaign from 23 February to 6 March titled Absolute Champion Tuna Fair, in which diners could compare eating Irish tuna and Oma tuna.

The fair, which featured Atlantic bluefin tuna caught off the coast of Ireland, featured a Wild Tuna Assortment menu item priced at JPY 638 (USD 5.51, EUR 5.05) including tax. The four-piece sushi assortment featured three types of neta, or

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Published on
March 4, 2022

Argentine red shrimp have become a popular item during Japanese New Year, with seasonal demand pushing imports of the species to the top of the charts.

Head-on prawns are a traditional part of the Japanese New Year menu – whole boiled shrimp represent long life, with the curved body and long antennae symbolizing the stooped back and long whiskers of an old man.

Demand for Argentine red shrimp spiked in November 2021 as importers in Japan

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Published on
March 2, 2022

A new paper published 15 February in Fisheries Magazine confirms that salmon spawns fared worse in hotter, drier conditions.

The new paper, "Premature Mortality Observations among Alaska’s Pacific Salmon During Record Heat and Drought in 2019," found salmon had higher spawning success in glacier and snow-fed streams than in rain-fed streams in hot, dry conditions.

Drought conditions in 2019 caused many rain-fed streams in Alaska to dry up.

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Published on
March 1, 2022

Japan, which typically takes its lead on foreign policy from the U.S. – one of its closest allies – is expected to follow along with American-led measures to isolate Russia made in response to Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine …

Photo courtesy of 首相官邸ホームページ/Wikimedia

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Published on
February 24, 2022

Japan’s seafood exports recovered in 2021, and in some cases surpassed pre-pandemic levels, trade statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Finance show.

The recovery is in line with the government’s announcement in December 2021 that the annual value of Japan's agriculture, forestry, and fisheries exports for the year would exceed JPY 1 trillion (USD 8.7 billion, EUR 7.7 billion) for the first time. That figure was achieved through

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