Late last month, Japan exported rice to China for the first time in four years. With economic growth and rising income levels in China and elsewhere in Asia, Japan hopes it will meet a goal of tripling farm and fisheries exports to 1 trillion yen in 2013 from the 2006 level.
The farm ministry has designated China, Hong Kong and Singapore as key destinations for exported, high-end rice. Similarly, Taiwan and the United States are Japan's priority markets for yams, China and South Korea are priority for high-end apples, and Thailand and Egypt are priority for mackerel.
Some see this as a symbolic move to represent what Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Norihiko Akagi calls "aggressive agricultural administration."
"Given the rising reputation overseas of Japanese cuisine and foodstuffs due to their rich taste and healthy qualities, Japan's agriculture — which traditionally has played a key role in local economies — is seizing a great opportunity to develop into a strategic industry," a farm ministry official said.