An advisory panel to Japan’s agriculture ministry has recommended setting an ambitious target of tripling tourists’ food consumption to ¥4.5 trillion by 2030. The proposal, part of Japan’s broader strategy to capitalize on record visitor numbers, seeks to offset declining domestic food demand due to the country’s aging population.
Pending Cabinet approval, the government plans to leverage international interest in Japanese agricultural products, such as rice and beef, to expand production and exports. The panel also set an export target of ¥5 trillion for 2030, significantly higher than the current ¥1.5 trillion in 2024.
The advisory panel identified rice and 28 other products as priority exports. Specifically, rice exports alone are expected to rise to ¥92.2 billion by 2030, a substantial increase from ¥13.6 billion last year.
These tourism and export targets are included for the first time in the Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas, compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
Japan welcomed 36 million international visitors in 2024, generating approximately ¥8 trillion in total spending—both record highs, driven partly by the favorable exchange rate for tourists. The government has previously set a broader tourism goal of attracting 60 million visitors annually, aiming for total tourist spending to reach ¥15 trillion by 2030.
However, analysts caution that achieving these ambitious food consumption targets may be challenging without specific policy measures for rapid growth.
