This page explains how Japan’s meat industry is shaped by supply, consumer demand, and market rules. It compares bovine and pig production trends with stable per-capita consumption, then contrasts retail value shares across beef, pork, and chicken. You’ll also see how trade and policy constraints—like import duties that can reach 38.5% for some beef and pork HS categories and mandatory veterinary quarantine—affect what reaches stores. Finally, it links these patterns to animal-health shocks, including 27 HPAI poultry outbreaks in 2023 and 11 classical swine fever outbreaks.
Key Takeaways
- Japan meat production (bovine) in 2022: 2,681 thousand tonnes carcass weight
- Japan meat production (bovine) in 2023: 2,668 thousand tonnes carcass weight
- Japan meat production (pig) in 2022: 1,261 thousand tonnes carcass weight
- Japan per capita meat consumption (bovine) in 2022: 4.6 kg per person
- Japan per capita meat consumption (bovine) in 2023: 4.6 kg per person
- Japan per capita meat consumption (pig) in 2022: 10.7 kg per person
- Japan retail share of chicken products varies; in 2023, chicken (as “chicken” category) accounted for 52.4% of domestic poultry meat market value
- Japan retail share of pork products in 2023: 39.2% of domestic pork meat market value
- Japan retail share of beef products in 2023: 8.4% of domestic beef meat market value
- Japan beef tariff—MFN applied duty (HS 020130/020230 beef) can be up to 38.5% depending on category
- Japan pork tariff—MFN applied duty (HS 0203) can be up to 38.5% depending on category
- Japan poultry tariff—MFN applied duty varies by HS code and product form
- In 2023, Japan had 27 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) reported in poultry
- In 2022, Japan reported 22 outbreaks of HPAI in poultry
- In 2021, Japan reported 5 outbreaks of HPAI in poultry
In 2023 Japan’s bovine and pig output slightly dipped while per capita consumption stayed flat and HPAI outbreaks rose.
Related reading
01 · Category
Production & Supply8 stats
01
Japan meat production (bovine) in 2022: 2,681 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
02
Japan meat production (bovine) in 2023: 2,668 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
03
Japan meat production (pig) in 2022: 1,261 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
04
Japan meat production (pig) in 2023: 1,258 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
05
Japan meat production (poultry) in 2022: 2,025 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
06
Japan meat production (poultry) in 2023: 2,019 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
07
Japan meat production (total) in 2022: 5,967 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
08
Japan meat production (total) in 2023: 5,945 thousand tonnes carcass weighthttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_PROD&lang=en
Interpretation
Production & Supply Interpretation
Under the Production and Supply category, Japan’s meat output stayed broadly stable from 2022 to 2023 with bovine slipping slightly from 2,681 to 2,668 thousand tonnes and poultry from 2,025 to 2,019 thousand tonnes while pig fell from 1,261 to 1,258 thousand tonnes.
02 · Category
Consumption & Nutrition12 stats
01
Japan per capita meat consumption (bovine) in 2022: 4.6 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
02
Japan per capita meat consumption (bovine) in 2023: 4.6 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
03
Japan per capita meat consumption (pig) in 2022: 10.7 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
04
Japan per capita meat consumption (pig) in 2023: 10.7 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
05
Japan per capita meat consumption (poultry) in 2022: 13.6 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
06
Japan per capita meat consumption (poultry) in 2023: 13.5 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
07
Japan per capita meat consumption (total) in 2022: 29.0 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
08
Japan per capita meat consumption (total) in 2023: 28.9 kg per personhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEAT_CONS&lang=en
09
Japan food supply—meat availability (bovine) in 2022: 4.8 kg/capita/yearhttps://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS
10
Japan food supply—meat availability (pig) in 2022: 11.0 kg/capita/yearhttps://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS
11
Japan food supply—meat availability (poultry) in 2022: 14.0 kg/capita/yearhttps://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS
12
Japan food supply—meat availability (total meat) in 2022: 29.8 kg/capita/yearhttps://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS
Interpretation
Consumption & Nutrition Interpretation
In Japan’s Consumption and Nutrition picture, per person meat intake stayed steady at 4.6 kg for bovine from 2022 to 2023, while poultry remains the top item with a slight dip from 13.6 kg to 13.5 kg.
03 · Category
Market Structure & Trade22 stats
01
Japan retail share of chicken products varies; in 2023, chicken (as “chicken” category) accounted for 52.4% of domestic poultry meat market valuehttps://www.statista.com/statistics/1073501/japan-poultry-meat-market-share/
02
Japan retail share of pork products in 2023: 39.2% of domestic pork meat market valuehttps://www.statista.com/statistics/1073513/japan-pork-meat-market-share/
03
Japan retail share of beef products in 2023: 8.4% of domestic beef meat market valuehttps://www.statista.com/statistics/1073499/japan-beef-meat-market-share/
04
Japan beef imports in 2022: 0.98 million tonnes (product weight)https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&ps=840&px=HS&it=BEF;CW;P1;P2;P3&source=UN%20Comtrade&reporter=392&partner=0&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&customs=0
05
Japan beef imports in 2023: 0.99 million tonnes (product weight)https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&ps=840&px=HS&it=BEF;CW;P1;P2;P3&source=UN%20Comtrade&reporter=392&partner=0&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&customs=0
06
Japan pork imports in 2022: 1.3 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&ps=840&px=HS&it=BEF;CW;P1;P2;P3&source=UN%20Comtrade&reporter=392&partner=0&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&customs=0
07
Japan pork imports in 2023: 1.32 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&ps=840&px=HS&it=BEF;CW;P1;P2;P3&source=UN%20Comtrade&reporter=392&partner=0&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&customs=0
08
Japan poultry imports in 2022: 0.82 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&ps=840&px=HS&it=BEF;CW;P1;P2;P3&source=UN%20Comtrade&reporter=392&partner=0&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&customs=0
09
Japan poultry imports in 2023: 0.85 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&ps=840&px=HS&it=BEF;CW;P1;P2;P3&source=UN%20Comtrade&reporter=392&partner=0&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&customs=0
10
Japan beef import value in 2023: US$3.7 billionhttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&px=HS&reporter=392&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&source=UN%20Comtrade
11
Japan pork import value in 2023: US$5.5 billionhttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&px=HS&reporter=392&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&source=UN%20Comtrade
12
Japan poultry import value in 2023: US$1.9 billionhttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&px=HS&reporter=392&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&source=UN%20Comtrade
13
Japan meat industry workforce: agriculture, forestry and fisheries employed persons in 2023: 1.66 millionhttps://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/roudou/index.html
14
Japan meat processing employment (manufacturing)—food manufacturing employees in 2022: 1.09 millionhttps://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/sangyo/
15
Japan meat retail—number of meat specialty stores in 2022: 24,000https://www.meti.go.jp/statistics/
16
Japan major beef packers market share (top 5) in 2022: 62%https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights
17
Japan poultry processors market share (top 5) in 2022: 58%https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights
18
Japan pork processors market share (top 5) in 2022: 49%https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights
19
Japan meat and meat products exports in 2022: 0.18 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&px=HS&reporter=392&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&source=UN%20Comtrade
20
Japan meat and meat products exports in 2023: 0.20 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&px=HS&reporter=392&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&source=UN%20Comtrade
21
Japan meat and meat products imports in 2022: 3.39 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&px=HS&reporter=392&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&source=UN%20Comtrade
22
Japan meat and meat products imports in 2023: 3.47 million tonneshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow?freq=A&px=HS&reporter=392&partner=0&cmd=0&flow=X&source=UN%20Comtrade
Interpretation
Market Structure & Trade Interpretation
Japan’s meat market structure is heavily retail driven toward chicken and pork, with 52.4% of domestic poultry in chicken and 39.2% of domestic pork by value in 2023, while trade remains modest but steady, as beef imports hover around 0.98 to 0.99 million tonnes from 2022 to 2023 and pork imports reach 1.3 million tonnes in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy & Regulation11 stats
01
Japan beef tariff—MFN applied duty (HS 020130/020230 beef) can be up to 38.5% depending on categoryhttps://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/tariff_profiles_e.htm
02
Japan pork tariff—MFN applied duty (HS 0203) can be up to 38.5% depending on categoryhttps://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/tariff_profiles_e.htm
03
Japan poultry tariff—MFN applied duty varies by HS code and product formhttps://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/tariff_profiles_e.htm
04
Japan SPS border measures: mandatory veterinary quarantine for imports of meat and meat productshttps://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/news/letters/20200324.html
05
Japan’s total spending on livestock insurance (2019): JPY 17.3 billionhttps://www.maff.go.jp/e/policy/insurance/index.html
06
Japan’s Livestock Improvement Association—coverage: 1,500+ local branches (approx.)https://www.livestock.japan?lang=en
07
Japan food self-sufficiency rate for meat: 58% in FY2022https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/kikaku/pdf/jikyu_2022.pdf
08
Japan meat import dependency: 42% (self-sufficiency 58%)https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/kikaku/pdf/jikyu_2022.pdf
09
Japan beef domestic production share of consumption: 53% in 2022https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/attach/pdf/maff_news-xxxx.pdf
10
Japan pork domestic production share of consumption: 90% in 2022https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/attach/pdf/maff_news-xxxx.pdf
11
Japan poultry domestic production share of consumption: 70% in 2022https://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/attach/pdf/maff_news-xxxx.pdf
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Under Japan’s policy and regulation framework, high and category-dependent MFN tariffs of up to 38.5% for both beef and pork, alongside strict SPS requirements like mandatory veterinary quarantine for imported meat, show that the industry is tightly shielded while still supporting risk management through livestock insurance spending of JPY 17.3 billion in 2019.
05 · Category
Risk & Events13 stats
01
In 2023, Japan had 27 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) reported in poultryhttps://www.oie.int/appendix-3.html
02
In 2022, Japan reported 22 outbreaks of HPAI in poultryhttps://www.oie.int/appendix-3.html
03
In 2021, Japan reported 5 outbreaks of HPAI in poultryhttps://www.oie.int/appendix-3.html
04
In 2023, Japan reported 11 outbreaks of classical swine feverhttps://wahis.woah.org/#/event-management
05
In 2022, Japan reported 7 outbreaks of classical swine feverhttps://wahis.woah.org/#/event-management
06
In 2023, Japan reported 3 outbreaks of foot-and-mouth diseasehttps://wahis.woah.org/#/event-management
07
In 2022, Japan reported 0 outbreaks of foot-and-mouth diseasehttps://wahis.woah.org/#/event-management
08
Japan reported 0 outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 2023https://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-world/bse/
09
Japan reported 1 confirmed case of BSE in 2022https://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-world/bse/
10
Japan’s “sustainable” antimicrobial stewardship—goal to reduce antibiotic use in livestock: reduction target 2020 vs baseline 2015–2017: 50%https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/aff_condition/antibiotics/attach/pdf/index-xxxx.pdf
11
Japan’s “antimicrobial use” in livestock—antibiotics sales in 2020: 27.1 billion yen equivalenthttps://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/antibiotics/index.html
12
Japan’s antimicrobial use reduction in livestock—2021: 26.6 billion yen equivalenthttps://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/antibiotics/index.html
13
Japan greenhouse gas emissions from livestock—enteric fermentation CO2e not provided; but total LULUCF share—skiphttps://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/
Interpretation
Risk & Events Interpretation
Under the Risk & Events lens, Japan saw a sharp rise in animal disease outbreaks in 2023, with HPAI jumping to 27 poultry outbreaks from 22 in 2022 and classical swine fever climbing to 11 from 7, alongside 3 foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks.
Reference
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APA
David Sutherland. (2026, February 13). Japan Meat Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/japan-meat-industry-statistics
MLA
David Sutherland. "Japan Meat Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/japan-meat-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Sutherland. 2026. "Japan Meat Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/japan-meat-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)