'About Japan' webinar series 229: Japan's Fish, Fisheries and Seafood, a market overview

What is the current situation of the fishing industry and the seafood market in Japan?

What is the current situation of the fishing industry and the seafood market in Japan, the problems it faces and the solutions offered by governmental and grassroots initiatives? What are the trends in domestic seafood consumption? What are consumers preferences and their awareness on sustainable fish consumption? What are the business opportunities open to EU SMEs on the Japanese seafood market? How can EU SMEs and in particular Small Scale Fishers collaborate with their Japanese counterpart?

Japan’s culture, since its very beginning, has been permeated by the strict relationship that its people has established with the seas around its shores and the fauna inhabiting it. However, in recent years, from being one of the world’s largest consumers and producers of seafood, Japan has become one of its largest importers, witnessing, at the same time, a sharp decrease in pro capita consumption of fish products and in the numbers of its fishermen. Yet, 23 of the top 100 global multimillion multinationals dominating the world’s fishing industry are Japanese and Japan, with the world 6th largest EEZ, is a fundamental player in the international arena. Recent changes in domestic policy such as the Fisheries Reform of 2018, increasing media coverage, and initiatives from grassroots movements  and players from the fishing sectors themselves, are producing gradual changes in domestic behaviour, revaluing the traditional fish-based washoku diet and  making the domestic fishing industry more sustainable.

This webinar is targeted to EU:

• SMEs of the fishing sector
• Producers of fish-based innovative food products or supplements  
• Small Scale Fishers
• Companies interested in seaweed and their various applications
• Distributors of seaweed/Japanese products
• Certification Companies (Sustainability and HCCP)
• Anyone interested in Japanese food culture, sustainability, social business, etc.

In 40 minutes from your desk, discover:

• The relationship between the Japanese and their fish
• The characteristics of the Japanese seafood market
• What are the current problems of the Japanese seafood sector and possible solutions
• The potential of seaweeds

Programme:

• Topic definition and brief historical excursus
• Japan’s seafood production in the world context
• Current issues affecting the Japanese fishing industry  
• Political and social initiatives to solve the problems of the Japanese fishing sector
• Collaboration opportunities for EU SMEs and their Japanese counterpart
• Q&A Session

Registration deadline: 25 March 2024

Speaker: Renata Piazza, freelance researcher and project manager. Independent Sustainability Consultant, Cultural Bridge, Project Manager. Born in Sicily, BA in Japanese Culture, MSc in Politics of Asia, Renata has lived for more than three decades between the UK, Spain and Japan, before returning to her homeland in 2020 where she is working mainly in Project Management and research. Founder and President of Hasekura Program (a best-practices exchange and educational platform), since 2012 Renata has been advising SMEs, start ups, local administrations and academia on social innovation, environmental sustainability and the planning of a socio-economic model fit for postgrowth societies. 

Since 2021 Renata has published for the EU Japan Center for Industrial Cooperation  reports on: Japan’s vegetarian and vegan market, Japan’s beer market, and the Japanese log house market.  


Moderator: Sofia Smerzi, Business Support Coordinator, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Organiser: EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation - Brussels Office

Deliverables