Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries oversees the tariff rate quotas (TRQs) that determine the volume of dairy products that can enter the country each year based on a specific tariff code. For the Japanese fiscal year April 1, 2019-March 31, 2020, the ministry recently announced TRQs that include natural cheese for processing, skimmed milk powder, evaporated milk, butter and butteroil, and certain whey products.

Earlier this year, the ministry also announced plans to import 20,000 metric tons each of butter and non-fat dry milk through Japan’s Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation (ALIC), a state-trading system.

Japan is the fourth-largest market for U.S. dairy exports, representing sales of more than $270 million in 2018. As the United States and Japan begin to discuss the framework for a possible bilateral agreement, IDFA will continue to stress the importance of addressing U.S. dairy’s growing import disadvantage in the Japanese market and has advocated for a level playing field for American dairy companies.

For more details, read the Global Agriculture Information Network (GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

Members with questions may contact Beth Hughes, IDFA senior director of international affairs, at bhughes@idfa.org.