IN MARKET GROWING DEMAND MARKET FOCUS m TAPPING INTO JAPAN’S MEAT BOOM D espite Japan’s shrinking establishments. Most Japanese retailers, population and increased including convenience stores, carry competition, Australia’s Australian beef, and it’s used in schools largest beef export market has been and a range of catering channels. booming over the past few years, Recently, barbecue steak has become with 2018 setting a new record. more popular and many casual and Australian beef exports to Japan duringhigh‑end steakhouses have opened. 2017–18 jumped 10% year‑on‑year, Outdoor barbecue spaces are popping totalling 307,339 tonnes swt, the up, including a new operator called highest since 2012. ‘Real BBQ’ which negotiates to take Japan is in the middle of what’s beingover inner‑urban building rooftops in referred to as a ‘niku (meat) boom’. Thissummer and turn them into private is driven by several factors, includingbarbecue spaces available to rent for increased understanding of the healthspace‑poor locals. benefits of eating lean red meat for allFierce competition ages, especially women, children andJapan is also the largest export market the elderly. for US beef and the US aggressively The economy and consumer confidence promotes its product. New Zealand, are the strongest they’ve been sinceCanada, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and what it stands for. the early 1990s. Female participationand the EU are also highly active in the marketplace. MLA also invests in consumer in the workforce is increasing, there promotion with the message ‘Aussie are more dual‑income households, and“The biggest challenge beef is genki!’ – a Japanese term which quicker home meals or dining out are roughly equates to ‘full of life’. increasingly popular. Inbound tourism toright now would be supply. Japan has almost tripled in the past fiveBecause of the drought “At grassroots we support kids to feel years to 28 million visitors a year.conditions in many parts ‘genki ’ by linking with sports such as Australia also enjoys a tariff advantage junior rugby,” Andrew said. of Australia, our exports in meat exports to Japan over the are likely to fall, and “Most women in Japan are iron deficient, largest competitor, US beef, initially so in winter we communicate the from the Economic Partnership Japanese customers follow nutritional benefits of meat, such as iron, Agreement and more recently from supply forecasts closely,” that help people avoid issues such as the advent of the Comprehensive said Andrew Cox, MLA’s chills, irritability and dry skin. and Progressive Agreement for Trans‑Pacific Partnership. International Business “And the largest campaign is ‘Let’s Importantly, Australian beef has Manager – Japan and Korea. barbie’ in the warmer months, where a clear advantage in terms of we encourage people to buy Aussie consumer preference. Provenance is important in Japan, beef steak and enjoy it with friends and all Australian red meat programsand family.” ■ All bases covered are underpinned by the ‘True Aussie’ Australian beef can be found in all foodcountry‑of‑origin brand and positioning.Andrew Cox sectors in Japan, from quick‑serviceSince its launch in 2014, more than half E: acox@mla.com.au restaurants (McDonald’s is the largestof all Japanese consumers are now single customer in Japan) to fine‑diningable to recognise the True Aussie logo 44