Vietnam has taken over the responsibility for processing Japanese scallops after the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in Japan decided to transfer these operations from China. The move comes after China banned Japanese seafood products due to concerns about pollution from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, despite the International Atomic Energy Agency’s assurances that Japan’s wastewater disposal is safe.
Vietnam is expected to replace China as one of the primary processing origins for Japanese seafood, with the expectation that this cooperation between the three nations will lead to other opportunities for seafood processing. The seafood ban from China has prompted Japan to prioritize finding alternative ways to export seafood products and explore new distribution channels. The United States has been involved in facilitating the import of Japanese scallops and other seafood products to Vietnam, which is expected to benefit from this cooperation.
Additionally, Japan is also pursuing opportunities to expand its seafood exports to the United States, with plans to open a new JETRO office in Houston, Texas to support Japanese food exports. Efforts are being made to promote Japanese cuisine in the southern part of the United States, including training classes for foreign chefs, free tasting events for food products, and demonstrations on how Japanese ingredients can be used in non-Japanese cuisine. These developments represent an effort to diversify risks and reduce over-reliance on the Chinese market for Japanese seafood exports.