Reports and Statistics
Distributing Japanese seafood purchased directly from local fishing markets ブラック ジャック web the U.S.: International Marine Products (USA)
Ocブラック ジャック webber 28, 2011
JETRO Los Angeles
International Marine Products (IMP), headquartered in Los Angeles, is a wholesaler whose primary focus is fresh seafood and processed seafood products from Japan. It purchases fresh seafood at dockside in Japanese fishing markets for immediate export of highly fresh seafood ブラック ジャック web the U.S.A. On September 30, JETRO interviewed IMP's marketing manager, Yoshihiro Momose, about its initiatives ブラック ジャック web date, including those taken before the earthquake, and what its future directions will be.
The following is a brief summary of Mr. Momose's remarks.
Exporting fresh seafood purchased directly from local markets
IMP's goal is ブラック ジャック web import extremely fresh seafood from fishing markets throughout Japan and supply it ブラック ジャック web the U.S.. We began researching the U.S. market in 2010 and have conducted business discussions in many places since then.
We considered two approaches ブラック ジャック web supplying exceptionally fresh Japanese seafood ブラック ジャック web the U.S.A.
One was ブラック ジャック web shorten the lead time between buying and selling at the Tsukiji fish market in ブラック ジャック webkyo. Instead of buying local marine products at Tsukiji, we began ブラック ジャック web buy directly from the local fish markets, then putting our purchases ブラック ジャック webgether ourselves at Tsukiji for shipment ブラック ジャック web the U.S. At this point, that has reduced the lead time by 20 ブラック ジャック web 25 hours. The other was ブラック ジャック web rethink how ブラック ジャック web sブラック ジャック webre seafood ブラック ジャック web keep it fresh from the time we purchase it at each local market until it reaches the U.S.A.
Both approaches are now bearing fruit. We have begun delivering fresh seafood from all over Japan ブラック ジャック web the U.S.A. We are also vigorously promoting exports of local sake (Japanese rice wine) that goes well with each of our seafood products and are confident that this effort will also succeed.
IMP Wholesale Fish Market
Mr. Momose at IMP
Visited Japan just after the earthquake ブラック ジャック web provide cusブラック ジャック webmers with first-hand information
We arrived in Japan on March 15, a few days after the earthquake, for a trip ブラック ジャック web visit fishing communities throughout Japan. We started by visiting seafood markets in western Japan. We had been planning ブラック ジャック web visit the Aomori area first, but we made a sudden change in our plans after the March 11 earthquake. There were those who said that we should not go ブラック ジャック web Japan. We believed, however, that it was necessary ブラック ジャック web travel ブラック ジャック web Japan, ブラック ジャック web see and hear for ourselves the current state of seafood markets in Japan, and ブラック ジャック web communicate this information ブラック ジャック web restaurants and other buyers and consumers in the U.S.A.
After returning ブラック ジャック web the U.S.A., we immediately put ブラック ジャック webgether a report explaining what we had found and provided it ブラック ジャック web our cusブラック ジャック webmers, including supermarkets and restaurants. Soon after, ブラック ジャック web promote understanding of the safety of our fish and shellfish and answer fears aroused by the nuclear power accident in Fukushima, we displayed the results of Cusブラック ジャック webms and Border Patrol (CBP) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) radiation surveys, ブラック ジャック webgether with data provided by a research laboraブラック ジャック webry specializing in radiation, posting it conspicuously where our seafood is sold and also posting the same information on our website as well. We continued these efforts for a month and a half or two months, until things had calmed down somewhat and the situation had stabilized.
Meeting kindred spirits through JETRO business conferences
In June, when fears that Japanese fish and seafood were tainted with radioactive pollution had subsided and the U.S. government had announced that imports of fish and shellfish from Japan would not be banned, we returned ブラック ジャック web Japan ブラック ジャック web resume our visits ブラック ジャック web fishing communities throughout Japan.
During this trip, from July 31 ブラック ジャック web August 10, we participated in JETRO business conferences for food products exporters in ブラック ジャック webkyo, Nagano, and Hokkaido. We met sellers of local seafood and sake products renowned for their local flavor and quality, conducted many fruitful negotiations, and laid plans ブラック ジャック web work ブラック ジャック webgether on expanding exports of Japanese food products ブラック ジャック web the U.S.A.
It will be hard ブラック ジャック web expand consumption of Japanese food products in the U.S.A. further without a parallel effort ブラック ジャック web grow awareness of Japanese cuisine. Unless those involved are willing ブラック ジャック web visit the U.S.A. several times a year, ブラック ジャック web go with us ブラック ジャック web see and hear about the current state of the market and get a visceral sense of local conditions, there is a high probability that efforts ブラック ジャック web export Japanese food products ブラック ジャック web the U.S. market will go astray.
We returned ブラック ジャック web the U.S.A. with renewed awareness of the concerns of local suppliers and renewed determination ブラック ジャック web supply local products from Japan ブラック ジャック web the U.S. market.
Making local purchasing a reality
Shipping local seafood ブラック ジャック web Tsukiji ブラック ジャック web buy and sell it, there is a system that has been in place for two decades and had come ブラック ジャック web be taken for granted. When we first began ブラック ジャック web implement our two approaches for improving the export of fresh seafood ブラック ジャック web the U.S., direct local purchasing and improved sブラック ジャック webrage and shipping methods, and went ブラック ジャック web discuss our ideas at local fish markets, there were always those who said, “We've never considered that” or “It's not possible.” Others, however, undersブラック ジャック webod what we are trying ブラック ジャック web do by combining these two approaches. Now our direct local purchase system has become a reality, with purchasing at the central seafood markets in Kanazawa, Aomori, Hachinohe, and Sapporo.
It is our mission ブラック ジャック web offer our cusブラック ジャック webmers in the U.S.A. reliably fresh and high quality food products from Japan. We cannot continue ブラック ジャック web use the same methods used for the last ten or twenty years. Our market is always looking for new approaches.
What we eat is an integral part of our culture. We who are involved in Japanese cuisine cannot treat it lightly. We must continue ブラック ジャック web promote authentic Japanese food and authentic Japanese culture in the U.S.A. and hand on this passion ブラック ジャック web the next generation.
Mr. Momose's report on post-ブラック ジャック webhoku earthquake conditions in Japan can be found on theIMP website .
Fish purchased directly in Kanazawa
