Japan earned JPY 205.9 billion (EUR 1.6 billion; USD 1.7 billion) from its marine product exports in the first nine months of 2015, an rise of 20.1 percent year-on-year, according to figures published by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
The value of Japanese fishery product exports has climbed steadily in recent years, growing from JPY 169.8 billion (EUR 1.3 billion; USD 1.4 billion) for the full 12 months of 2012 to JPY 221.6 billion (EUR 1.7 billion; USD 1.9 billion) in 2013 and then JPY 233.7 billion (EUR 1.8 billion; USD 2 billion) in 2014.
The country is, though, a net importer of fishery products. In 2012, it imported JPY 1.5 trillion (EUR 11.7 billion; USD 12.7 billion) worth of seafood, which increased to JPY 1.6 trillion (EUR 12.5 billion; USD 13.6 billion) and then JPY 1.7 trillion (EUR 13.3 billion; USD 14.4 billion) in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
For the first nine months of last year, it imported more than JPY 1.2 trillion (EUR 9.4 billion; USD 10.2 billion) worth of seafood products, an increase of 0.8 percent year-on-year.
