Now that the import of Japanese koi has stopped, is it a good time for domestic koi to hit the high end?

Recently, Japan's Kyodo News broke the news that China has actually stopped importing koi from Japan, which has caused quite a heated discussion in the aquarium industry. The cause of this incident was that China’s license period for designated quarantine facilities for Japanese koi had expired, and China had no intention of extending this license, which led to the fact that the import of Japanese koi was stopped.

It is now October and November, when Japanese koi are in the peak season for maturing and being put on the market. As one of the major exporters of Japanese koi, China has stopped importing at this time, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Japanese local koi merchants.

After Japan discharged nuclear sewage, China announced a complete suspension of imports of Japanese aquatic products. This resulted in a 99.3% decrease in Japan's exports of aquatic products to China in September 2023, and of the remaining 0.7% of 58.68 million yen, 55.45 million yen was contributed by the export of ornamental koi.

According to Japanese national trade statistics, Japan’s koi exports in 2022 was approximately 6.3 billion yen, among which China has the largest market share in a single country. Similarly, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries stated: "China was Japan's largest importer of koi last year, accounting for 19% of Japan's total koi exports, with an export value of 1.2 billion yen."

In recent major domestic koi competitions, most of the champion fish winners came from domestic koi farms. This can also confirm the market acceptance of domestic high-end koi, and the recognition is constantly increasing.