According to trade statistics released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance on 26 June, imports of fish and fish preparations in May amounted to 152,926 million metric tons (MT), a decline of 17.2 percent from the same month of 2019. In value terms, imports fell even more – by 25 percent – to JPY 102,393 million (USD 950 million, EUR 847 million).
Quantities and values from all countries and regions fell, likely due to the various effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as interruption of air freight, tourism, eating out, and production disturbances.
The quantity from the U.S. fell by 22.2 percent, to 29,296 million MT. The value declined 19.8 percent from a year ago, to JPY 13,453 million (USD 124 million, EUR 111 million).
Volumes from the European Union decreased by less, falling 10.7 percent to 4,667 million MT. But the drop in value was similar to the U.S.: a decline of 24.2 percent, to JPY 5,704 million (USD 53 million, EUR 47 million).
Imports from China were down 22.5 percent in volume, to 25,504 million MT. The value declined by 34 percent to JPY 18,055 million (USD 167 million, EUR 149 million). Chinese imports include a substantial amount of reprocessing of seafood from other original origins.
The ASEAN countries exported 31,812 million MT of fish and fish preparations to Japan in May, down just 7.2 percent, while values dropped by 15.8 percent to JPY 22,394 million (USD 207 million, EUR 185 million).
Imports from Russia fell by 19.8 percent to 8,810 million MT, or 41.8 percent by volume – the biggest percentage drop in value of any region in the statistics – to JPY 5,600 million (USD 52 million, EUR 46 million).
In addition to importing less, the tourism and shipping mode in Japan has been significantly impacted. The monthly number of entries and departures, which was typically around 4 million per month, fell to nearly zero from April. Hotel guests, who arrived in the country in numbers a little above 4 million per month pre-pandemic, now tally to a little under 1 million. With no passenger flights, airfreight cargo space is greatly diminished. Starting around mid-May, some carriers have begun using the passenger compartment of airplanes to carry cargo, seeking whatever profits they can eke out.
Photo courtesy of Muhammad Anuar bin Jamal/Shutterstock
