Stay updated on the latest agricultural news in Japan, that we publish every month.
by Yuki Sano
Innovation in fish farming and harvesting carts
Maruha Nichiro has successfully raised saury from eggs to market size, a major step toward commercial aquaculture as wild catches remain poor. Using onshore tanks and specialized techniques, the company produced 100-gram fish in six months and aims to commercialize farmed saury within a few years to ensure stable, year-round supply.
Source: Japan’s Maruha Nichiro succeeds in farming saury
Johnan Manufacturing will test-market an automated harvest cart, next spring. Using ultrasonic sensors to follow users, the 150-kg-capacity cart aims to cut farm labor by half. A larger crawler model will also be offered, priced around 2 million yen, to ease workloads for growers.
Source: A car parts maker to market a harvest cart with automatic following capability
Decline in Japanese agricultural entities
Japan’s agricultural management entities fell to 828,000 in 2025, dropping below 1 million for the first time and down 23% from 2020. Individual entities declined sharply to 789,000, while corporate groups grew, increasing average farm size as operations shifted toward larger-scale management.
Source: Japan Agricultural Entities Fall below 1 M. for 1st Time
New trends for Christmas cake in Japan
Japan’s Christmas cakes are shifting as unstable strawberry supplies and rising costs drive demand for simpler, undecorated cake bases. Retailers like Yamazaki Baking and Lawson now offer affordable, topping-free cakes, though premium strawberry-topped options remain. Changing consumer preferences and heat-related production delays are accelerating the trend.
Source: Strawberry-less Christmas cakes being sold due to short strawberry supply in high-demand season
Japan's Christmas cake
Current avian flu outbreak in Japan
Japan confirmed new avian flu outbreaks at poultry farms in Niigata and Miyazaki, prompting the culling of roughly 280,000 hens and 48,000 chickens. These cases mark the fourth and fifth infections of the season, following earlier outbreaks in Hokkaido and Niigata.
Source: Japan confirms fifth bird flu outbreak of season, Fourth avian flu outbreak this season confirmed in Niiga