The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) has been in effect for 16 months, however the timing of Japan’s fiscal year meant that the agreement entered “Year 3” of implementation on April 1, 2021. This report is one in a series of product briefs highlighting the tariff benefits for specific commodities and products from Year 3 (2021) to Year 5 (2023) of the agreement. Additional information is available at www.usdajapan.org/usjta/.
In 2020, the United States exported $411 million of nuts to Japan, making Japan the #7 overseas market for U.S. nuts. Almonds and walnuts are Japan’s top nut imports from the United States, accounting for over half of Japan’s total nut and nut product imports in 2019. The years below correspond to Japan’s fiscal year beginning April 1.
Market Considerations: Japan relies on imports for most of its nut consumption. Almonds and walnuts are supplied almost exclusively by the United States. Salted mixed nuts remain a popular snack item in the retail sector while unsalted nuts are gaining in popularity due to perceived health benefits. The United States is the second largest supplier of peanuts to Japan, after China. Under this agreement, U.S peanuts gained an immediate tariff advantage over Chinese peanuts.
Additional Resources: Further information is available at www.usdajapan.org. For additional questions, please contact the USDA Agricultural Trade Office at atotokyo@usda.gov, Tel: 81-3-3224-5115. — By Tomohiro Kurai and Akiko Satake, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
