On November 19, the Chinese government effectively imposed a complete ban on imports of Japanese seafood. Following this, Teikoku Databank published a survey on the impact of China's actual import restrictions on Japanese companies.
<Trends in the number of companies exporting to China>
This is the second time China has imposed a complete ban on imports of Japanese seafood, the first being in August 2023 over the release of treated water from the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In connection with this, this study focuses on comparative data with the previous import ban imposed in 2023.
As of October 2025, there were 9250 companies exporting to China. This represents a net decrease of 20 companies (0.2%) from the 9270 companies identified in the 2023 survey, with 870 new companies entering the market and 890 companies withdrawing.
<Percentage by related industry>
Of these, 172 were fisheries-related companies, representing 1.9% of the total. This represents an increase of 8 companies from the 164 companies recorded in 2023.
The percentage of "food products" that could be affected by China's import restrictions on Japan decreased from 55.9% in 2023 to 53.9%, and within the food category, "fisheries-related products" also decreased from 48.4% to 47.8%.
While demand from China was high due to the recent boom in Japanese food, the unstable environment caused by the Chinese government's export bans may have contributed to a shift in production and processing, as well as sales channels, from China to third countries such as the United States and Southeast Asia, or a return to the Japanese domestic market.
<Comparison with 2023>
Corporate approaches have also changed significantly over the past two years. Currently, the Japanese and Chinese governments have reached an agreement on the procedures and technical requirements for resuming exports, and in early November 2025, shipments of frozen scallops from Hokkaido and other products to China will resume. In addition to sea cucumbers, which are very popular in China, demand for Japanese food products is strong due to the Japanese food boom, and the Chinese market remains a significant presence as Japan's "largest customer (sales) destination."
On the other hand, export companies are once again becoming aware of the "China risk," a unique aspect of China where the business environment can change dramatically, mainly due to political factors. As a result, they are making progress in diversifying their risk by developing trading markets other than China, thereby reducing their "dependence on China."
Therefore, it is expected that many companies will respond relatively calmly to the renewed embargo, and it may not reach the level of "shock" seen in 2023. However, depending on future developments, it is conceivable that the scope of restrictions on imports from China may expand, and it is considered inevitable that there will be some impact in the short term, particularly on companies with a high proportion of exports to China.
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