Potential Reasons of Recent Beef Export from Japan

This study estimated three potential factors (policy change, depreciation, and income per cattle house) affecting the beef export amount from Japan, using Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) and export data from 1996 to 2023. Although the beef industry in Japan is at a comparative disadvantage compared with other countries because of limited plains, exports have increased in recent years. The Japanese government has recently strengthened cooperation with producers to promote Japanese beef (Wagyu) internationally. The estimated results are as follows. First, the dummy variable for the period after 2018, when a new law was prepared to enact for promoting the export of Japanese agricultural products, was significant in explaining beef exports from Japan. Second, in contrast, this dummy variable was not significant when using RSCA instead of export data. Third, neither income per cattle house nor the exchange rate affected RSCA or export amounts. Overall, government efforts appear to influence product promotion. These results suggest that Japan’s beef export initiatives may increase export amounts, although the comparative disadvantage remains unchanged.