Japan apple exports fall below 30,000 tons for first time in nine years

Japanese apple exports have fallen below 30,000 tons for the first time in nine years. According to trade statistics from the Ministry of Finance, the annual export volume from September 2025 to August 2026 was 26,455 tons, a 12% decrease from the previous year.

Despite the drop in volume, the total export value reached 16.2 billion yen, an 11% decline from the prior year. This figure marks the 12th consecutive year that export values have exceeded 10 billion yen and represents the fourth-highest value on record.

Officials from Aomori Prefecture, which accounts for approximately 90% of Japan's exported apples, attributed the lower volume to unfavorable weather conditions affecting harvests. The 2025 harvest in Aomori was the second lowest since 1991. However, producers managed to maintain high value by prioritizing shipments of high-quality fruit to major markets such as Taiwan and Hong Kong.