For Japanese importers: one confidential request for fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood
Consolidated sourcing across origins, supplier document screening and coordination of shipment details — while your company stays anonymous until you approve an introduction.
Prepared by the Global B2B Group project team · Published · Last reviewed · Scope: Japan-bound programmes for fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood. Market-access facts come from MAFF, MHLW and Japan Customs pages linked below; the importer and exporter must verify current product–origin requirements with the Japanese authorities.
Also available in: 日本語
How does Global B2B Group help a Japanese importer source fresh produce or seafood?
You send one structured request. A person on our team checks each product and origin against the published MAFF plant-quarantine basis, approaches several suitable suppliers without your company name, asks each for registration, phytosanitary, residue and commercial documents, coordinates shipment details such as shipping weeks, Incoterms® rule and transport mode, and returns offers set out on one basis. You or your importer of record file the food import notification and customs declaration. The service is free for buyers and applies to programmes from USD 250,000 in total annual or seasonal value; we do not promise market access, clearance, certification or savings.
How a Japan request runs
- You describe the programme: products and varieties, preferred origins, weekly and seasonal volume, pack and label, arrival port and weeks, documents your customers require.
- We check each product–origin pair against MAFF's detailed rules and prohibited-plant exceptions, and flag routes that are not established before any supplier is approached.
- We approach several suitable suppliers per origin with the same questions, without your company name, and collect registrations, draft phytosanitary details, residue results and quotations where suppliers provide them.
- We coordinate shipment details with each supplier and set the options side by side — price on a stated Incoterms® rule and place, volume, shipping weeks, documents and open risks.
- You decide. You approve an introduction to the supplier you choose; contract, payment and inspection terms are agreed between you and the supplier.
Start from the evidence
Three reference pages, each with dated sources, sit behind every Japan request.
- Examples from the map: Peru supplied US$31.4 million of avocados to Japan in 2024, second after Mexico; India supplied US$284.9 million of frozen shrimp under HS 030617, first among suppliers (UN Comtrade, 2024).
| Page | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Japan buyer map | Which fruit and shrimp from Ecuador, Peru, India, Kenya and Colombia reached Japan in 2024 (UN Comtrade) and which have a published MAFF basis |
| Exporter register | Which organisations in those origins official lists and their own websites document, with stated certifications and Japan evidence |
| Import-readiness checklists | What must be in place per product and origin: plant quarantine, phytosanitary certificate and inspection, food import notification, residues, customs |
Who we work for in Japan
MAFF reports that a little over half of fruit and vegetables and a little under half of seafood in Japan pass through wholesale markets, with imports also reaching manufacturers, retailers and foodservice directly through trading companies (14 March 2025). We work for each of these buyer types:
- Trading companies and specialist importers that hold the import notification and run seasonal programmes
- Wholesale-market wholesalers and intermediate wholesalers
- Supermarket chains buying through markets or direct
- Foodservice, ready-meal and processing buyers of frozen and prepared shrimp
What we do — and what stays with the importer and the authorities
We do
- Consolidated sourcing: one request covering several products, origins and suppliers
- Supplier screening: we review the documents suppliers provide against your request and run trade-compliance screening before anything is shortlisted
- Coordination of shipment details with suppliers: shipping weeks, Incoterms® rule, reefer or air, document set and open points
- Comparable offers, each figure labelled as a supplier quote, an estimate or checked
We do not
- Import, buy, sell, ship or clear goods; file the food import notification or customs declaration
- Audit farms or plants, test products or certify suppliers
- Promise that a route is admissible, that a consignment will pass inspection, or any saving
- Connect you directly with suppliers before review — your identity is shared only when you approve an introduction
What to include in a Japan-bound request
- Products, exact varieties or species, grade and size or count
- Preferred origins — one or several — and whether alternatives are acceptable
- Weekly volume, season total and arrival weeks at your port
- Pack, label language and format, and documents your customers require
- Who acts as importer of record and files the food import notification
- Incoterms® rule and named place, currency, and the declared total annual or seasonal programme value
Our team turns these points into one reviewed request and approaches suitable suppliers on your behalf. Buyers pay nothing; sourcing programmes start from USD 250,000 per year or season, and every requirement is confirmed per shipment rather than assumed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the service free for Japanese importers?
Yes. Request review, supplier outreach and offer comparison cost buyers nothing. Global B2B Group is compensated by the supplier side, only after a deal proceeds, and suppliers cannot pay for ranking.
Will suppliers know which company is buying?
Not during outreach. Our team approaches suppliers without your company name or contact details; your identity is shared only when you approve an introduction to a specific supplier.
Do you confirm that a product can be imported into Japan?
We check requests against the published MAFF rules and flag routes that are not established, but the importer and exporter must verify current product–origin requirements with the Plant Protection Station and the MHLW quarantine station.
Official guidance: MAFF Plant Protection Station — index of detailed plant-quarantine rules
Do you handle the food import notification or customs?
No. The importer of record files the food import notification under Food Sanitation Act Article 27 and the customs declaration. We coordinate the supplier's documents so they are ready.
Official guidance: MHLW — import notification of foods under Food Sanitation Act Article 27
What is the minimum programme size?
Assisted sourcing applies to programmes from USD 250,000 in total annual or seasonal value, not per shipment.
Can I write my request in Japanese?
Yes. The RFQ builder has a Japanese edition; our team reviews every request before any supplier is approached.
Sources
- MAFF Plant Protection Station — index of detailed plant-quarantine rules — checked 25 October 2026
- MAFF Plant Protection Station — import plant quarantine — checked 25 October 2026
- MHLW — import notification of foods under Food Sanitation Act Article 27 — checked 25 October 2026
- MHLW — positive list system for agricultural chemical residues in foods — checked 25 October 2026
- Japan Customs — import procedures (summary) — checked 25 October 2026
- MAFF — 卸売市場をめぐる情勢 (wholesale market situation), 14 March 2025 (PDF) — checked 25 October 2026
- UN Comtrade — Japan imports by partner, HS 080440 avocados, 2024 — checked 25 October 2026
- UN Comtrade — Japan imports by partner, HS 030617 other frozen shrimps and prawns, 2024 — checked 25 October 2026
Facility projects on the supply side
Buying fruit, vegetables and seafood for Japan stays on this site. For cold-chain, aquaculture or crop-production facility projects, our sister platforms handle the specialist scope:
This guide summarises official sources for planning a sourcing request. It is not legal or customs advice; rules change and depend on the product, HS code, origin, destination and date — confirm them with the authority or your customs broker before you ship.