en.Wedoany.com Reported - According to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), Brazil is actively promoting beef exports to the Japanese market, a priority that has become a core focus of the country's agribusiness sector. The Brazilian government, the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Mato Grosso (Famato), and related export industries are working to open the Japanese market for Brazilian beef. Japan relies on imports for approximately 70% of its beef consumption, with annual imports worth around $4 billion, about 80% of which come from the United States and Australia. The latest sanitary agreement between Brazil and Japan has been under discussion for about five years. In March of this year, the Japanese government conducted an on-site sanitary audit of Brazil's agricultural defense system as part of a risk assessment. Progress in negotiations accelerated after Brazil was recognized as free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination. Cleiton Gauer, Director of the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea), noted that Japan is regarded as a high-end destination with stringent sanitary requirements and high added value. Entering this market means obtaining quality and sanitary certification in one of the world's most demanding consumer markets. For Mato Grosso, which has the largest cattle herd in the country, this creates concrete opportunities for trade diversification and product value addition.

In terms of animal protein exports, chicken remains Brazil's main export category to Japan. According to data from the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex) of the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), fresh, chilled, or frozen chicken accounted for 18.8% of Brazil's total exports to Japan in 2025, generating revenue of over $1.03 billion. From January to May 2026, this share rose to 20.5%, with sales of approximately $492 million during the same period. Pork is also expanding its share in the Japanese market. In 2025, pork products accounted for 4.7% of Brazil's exports to Japan, with annual trade value of about $258.5 million; in the first five months of 2026, its share increased to 7.5%, with sales of approximately $180 million.

Coffee also holds a prominent position in bilateral trade. Data from the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé) shows that Japan imported 2.647 million bags (60 kg each) of Brazilian coffee in 2025, a 19.4% increase from 2024, making Japan the fourth-largest buyer of Brazilian coffee. This year, the Cerrado Coffee Growers Cooperative (Expocacer) exported the first batch of natural decaffeinated unroasted specialty coffee to Japan, shipping 8.4 tons (140 bags) via the Port of Santos. This operation is part of a commercial repositioning strategy developed over the past three years, and the volume of this single shipment exceeded Brazil's annual exports of unroasted decaffeinated coffee since 2020.

In bilateral trade, the total trade volume between Brazil and Japan reached $11.5 billion in 2025, with Brazil exporting $5.5 billion and importing $6.1 billion, resulting in a deficit of $562.6 million. Brazil exported 12.63 million tons of iron ore to Japan, generating revenue of $960 million; meanwhile, it imported 95,780 tons of Japanese auto parts, totaling $1.15 billion. The latest data from January to May 2026 shows that Brazil's exports to Japan amounted to $2.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11.9%, while imports also stood at $2.4 billion, but decreased by 8.6%, with total trade reaching $4.8 billion and Brazil achieving a surplus of $7.2 million. Additionally, according to Secex's comprehensive data for 2025 and compiled data from the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (IMEA), Mato Grosso exported 311,940 tons of soybean meal and 223,400 tons of soybeans to Japan, generating revenues of $105.35 million and $88.61 million respectively, with a combined total of 535,340 tons of both products and total revenue of $193.96 million.