The primary breed of cattle found on Japanese farms is the native wagyu. Hybrids are second, and the Holstein-Friesian breed is third.
Japan is not a self-sufficient country when it comes to beef production. In 2024, domestic production was around 505,000 tons per year, while demand was around 1,200,000 tons, meaning that Japan imported around 730,000 tons of beef and beef products.
EXPORT FROM EUROPE
Japan permits the export of beef and beef offal from cattle under 30 months of age originating from most EU countries. Although the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan entered into force in February 2019, exports of such products occur under conditions agreed upon between European and Japanese veterinary authorities.
All entities that export beef to Japan must adhere to the Export Verification Programme (EVP) guidelines.
Tariffs
In accordance with the provisions stated in the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, the applicable customs duties are as follows:
Table 1. Customs duties for EU countries
* Within 15 years of entry into force, i.e. in 2034.
| Customs code | 0202 |
| General customs duty | 38,5% |
| Present customs duty | 21,7% |
| Target customs duty* | 9% |
Export volume
The main exports to Japan from EU countries are frozen beef (CN 0202) and offal. Due to the distance separating the two partners, fresh beef (CN 0201) does not reach the Japanese market from Europe. The figures below show the scale of exports from EU countries between 2020 and 2024 in kilograms.
Table 2. Exports of beef from EU countries (CN 0202)1
Poland is by far the largest exporter of frozen beef among EU countries, accounting for more than 70% of export volumes to the Japanese market.
| Country | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 89,856 | 194,968 | 143,501 | 0,100 | 0,326 |
| Croatia | – | 18,930 | – | – | |
| Denmark | 48,420 | 9,314 | 0,751 | 0,144 | |
| France | 13,200 | 46,318 | 93,999 | 11,681 | 56,566 |
| Ireland | 3,230,999 | 2,573,710 | 2,225,030 | 1,061,575 | 1,661,222 |
| Italy | 31,306 | 146,898 | 99,952 | 13,784 | 80,191 |
| Lithuania | – | – | 22,278 | – | |
| Netherlands | 34,489 | 82,369 | 96,081 | 76,079 | 46,000 |
| Poland | 3,362,523 | 9,243,990 | 7,205,129 | 3,019,336 | 2,684,336 |
| Portugal | – | – | 0,160 | 0,011 | |
| Spain | 22,254 | 584,004 | 924,256 | 352,211 | 568,822 |
| Total | 6,833,047 | 12,900,501 | 10,811,137 | 4,534,921 | 5,097,526 |
We encourage you to download the information brochure detailing the qualities of European beef.
1 https://agridata.ec.europa.eu/extensions/DashboardBeef/BeefTrade.html#
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