News article
Green tea exports surge 83.5% on matcha sweets demand; H1 farm exports hit record 8,977 billion yen
Japan's H1 2026 (Jan–June) agricultural and food exports reached 8,977 billion yen, up 10.9% year-on-year and a record for any half-year period since 2002. Green tea exports climbed 83.5% to 483 billion yen, driven by rising demand for matcha in lattes and sweets, particularly in North America and Asia. The U.S. accounted for 1,626 billion yen of the total, with eight of the top ten export destinations posting record half-year shipments.
抹茶スイーツ需要で「緑茶」８割増、「ソース」も日本食に関心で好調…上半期の食品などの輸出額が過去最高 - 読売新聞
Key points
- Green tea exports jumped 83.5% to 483 billion yen in H1 2026, powered by matcha use in lattes and sweets.
- Total H1 agricultural exports reached 8,977 billion yen, up 10.9% YoY and the highest half-year total since 2002.
- U.S. was the largest market at 1,626 billion yen; Hong Kong (1,100 billion yen), China (940 billion yen), and Taiwan (88…
- Twenty-three product categories hit record export levels; matcha-driven green tea was among the strongest performers.
- Government aims to reach 5 trillion yen in annual exports by 2030, requiring roughly 24% annual growth.
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About this article
What they said
“Ship transport has been affected, and demand from tourist-oriented restaurants locally has declined.”
船舶輸送に影響が出ているほか、現地の観光客向けレストランの需要が落ちた
“Fundamental acceleration of pace is essential.”
抜本的なペースアップが不可欠
The numbers
H1 2026 total agricultural and food exports: 8977億円
Green tea exports H1 2026: 483億円
U.S. exports: 1626億円
Hong Kong exports: 1100億円
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