The government compiled a strategy to increase exports of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and other food products to 1 trillion yen by 2020 at a meeting of its working group on promoting exports by the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries on May 12. The main feature of this strategy is a system for government certification of Japanese products. The government intends to put in place a more aggressive agricultural structure in anticipation of the TPP agreement taking effect.

Japan’s exports in 2015 amounted to 745.1 billion yen, achieving the interim goal set by the government — 700 billion yen by 2016 — one year ahead of schedule. The government wants to add momentum to exports by implementing the strategy.

This strategy is based on the idea of government endorsement of the quality and outstanding characteristics of Japanese products.

The plan is to make use of the system of attaching JAS labels to products meeting Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) to make it easier for foreign consumers and businesses to identify Japanese products.

A task force on export regulations has been created under the Cabinet Secretariat to work on increasing Japanese exports by seeking the easing of quarantine and customs procedures in the U.S., China, and other countries.

In Singapore, where Japanese products are popular, the government is also supporting a private sector effort to set up a market there for Japanese agriculture, forestry, and fisheries products direct from producers. This project aims at turning the market into an export hub that will enable businesses to purchase Japanese products from wholesale markets in the country from abroad. (Slightly abridged)