Tokyo: Japan’s exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food rose 9.6 percent to 714.4 billion yen in January-June from a year before, hitting a record high for the third consecutive first-half period, the agriculture ministry said Friday.

The climb was backed by a recovery in dining-out demand in China and other parts of the world in line with the removal of pandemic-related restrictions, as well as a weaker yen that made Japanese products less expensive overseas.

Exports to China surged 16.2 percent to 139.4 billion yen, led by growth in soft drinks, making it the biggest export market for Japanese farm products and food.

Supported by the popularity of expensive pearls, exports to Hong Kong jumped 25.8 percent to 115.4 billion yen.

On the other hand, exports to the United States declined 7.9 percent to 96.4 billion yen as soaring inflation weighed on consumer spending there.

The outlook is uncertain for the second half of the year after China and Hong Kong last month strengthened radiation checks on fishery products from Japan in response to Tokyo’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Hong Kong has said that it would ban imports of fishery products from 10 Japanese prefectures if the treated water is actually released from the nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, the site of a triple meltdown in 2011.

The Japanese government is aiming to boost yearly exports of farm products and food to 2 trillion yen by 2025 and 5 trillion yen by 2030.

JIJI Press