65

The State of Fishing Industry in Fukushima
after the Nuclear Power Plant Accident
Nobuyuki YAGI
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657 Japane-mail: yagi@fs.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Abstract
The large-scale release of radioactive substances from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant
operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company caused significant damages to local fisheries in March 2011.
Japan’s government did not revoke fishing licenses in Fukushima, but the Fukushima Prefectural Federationof Fisheries Cooperative Association immediately suspended all commercial fishing activities in Fukushima
waters. The government issued instructions prohibiting the sale of certain marine products caught in thewaters off Fukushima Prefecture due to food safety concerns. The prohibitions have been lifted gradually and,in June 2012, the Fisheries Cooperative Associations decided to resume fishing activities for three species(two octopus species and one shellfish species). Landed octopus and shellfish were actually sold with a label
indicating Fukushima as their point of origin. Although other species were added to the list over the course of2013, the scale of operation is far less smaller compared with the situation before the tsunami. Full recovery of
Fukushima’s fisheries is hardly expected in one or two years. Several options for addressing weak consumer
confidence are discussed.
Key words: cesium, consumer confidence, fishery, Fukushima, value-chain

1. Introduction
The tsunami triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 damaged around 29,000 fishboats and 319 fishing ports in Japan (Fisheries Agency ofJapan, 2014a). Each of these figures accounts for some
10% of the respective national totals. Since the disaster,
approximately 17,000 of these boats and 289 of the ports
have returned to operations as of January 31, 2014
(Fishery Agency of Japan, 2014a).
Despite the unprecedented scale of the disaster, the rehabilitation of the fisheries in the tsunami-damaged areas
has been relatively expeditious in terms of the fishingcapacity as measured in the number of boats and ports.
However, if the level of fish sales (i.e., the amount offishery production) is employed as a metric for recovery,
progress has been considerably slower in these areas.

2. The Status of Fishery Production in the
Disaster-affected Areas of NortheasternJapan
Immediately following the disasters of March 11,
2011, rumors emerged that Japan would face a shortagein the supply of seafood products. In reality, however, theJapanese market did not suffer from such a lack of supply,
Global Environmental Research
18/2014: 65-72
printed in Japan

as illustrated in Fig.1, which provides a comparison ofmonthly landing volumes of major fishery products inJapan from 2009-2012.
Japan’s annual fisheries production patterns arecharacterized by peak levels in autumn, from September
to November, with the lowest levels in spring. The
prevailing patterns have remained consistent both before
and since the disaster. This seasonal variation in landings
can be primarily explained by seasonal migration patterns of fish stocks, many of which migrate to Japan’s
coastal areas from areas further offshore.
It should be noted from Fig. 1 that no tangible
changes in monthly landing volumes are evident between
the years before and after the disaster in Japan. One reason is that, although a number of boats were damaged,
most were small-sized boats which weighed less than
five gross tons and had limited production capacity.
Many fishing vessels categorized as large- or mediumsized boats, with correspondingly higher production
efficiencies, were located off the coast when the tsunami
hit and escaped the damage. This allowed such vessels tocontinue their operations following the disaster.
A large quantity of marine products are also imported
to the Japanese market, meaning that a slight increase or
decrease in domestic production volumes would not
significantly impact the short-term domestic supply or©2014 AIRIES66

N. YAGIdemand conditions.
Another perspective on the magnitude of the damages
to fishery production in Japan is provided in Fig. 2, whichindicates long-term changes in national fisheries production over a 50+ year timeframe. In the figure, “inland
fisheries” refers to freshwater aquaculture and capture
fisheries in rivers and lakes, while “coastal fisheries”
describes capture fisheries within Japanese jurisdiction
using vessels weighing less than ten gross tons. Likewise,“offshore fishery” refers to capture fishery activities
conducted primarily within Japanese jurisdiction using
vessels weighing ten gross tons or more, and “longdistance fisheries” are those operated beyond the limitsof Japan’s national jurisdiction.
Japan’s long-distance fisheries peaked in the 1970s,
but the total production expanded until the late 1980s due

to a sudden increase in stocks of Japanese sardine(Sardinops melanostictus). After 1988, the total production declined sharply, reflecting a sudden decrease inJapanese pilchard due to high natural mortality during
their juvenile larvae stage (Shima, et al. 2012). During
the same period, Japan lost certain long-distance fishinggrounds located within the 200 mile zones of foreigncountries, including the USA and the Soviet Union(Shima, et al. 2012). The rate of decline in total production slowed somewhat after the 2000s, but another notable decrease was observed in 2011 due to the disaster. A
slight recovery was recorded in 2012.
At the same time that the rapid decline was occurring
during the 1990s and later in the production of Japan’s
fisheries industry, the level of imports of fisheries products from overseas significantly increased. This trend

Fig. 1 Landing volumes of major marine products in Japan (source: prepared by the author basedon Japan Fisheries Information Service Center Data; unit: 1,000 metric tons).

Fig. 2 Long-term production trends in Japanese fisheries (data source: annual reports on aquaculture andfisheries statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan; unit: million metric tons).

The State of Fishing Industry in Fukushima after the Nuclear Power Plant Accident

was aided by a strengthening of the Japanese yen, which
pushed up imports of foreign products (Shima, et al.
2012). In addition, the import tariffs imposed by Japan on
fisheries products are relatively low, measuring just 4%
on average (OECD, 2003). Income levels of fishers inJapan are also low as they face increasing global competition and escalating prices for fuel and other materials(Shima, et al., 2012). The labor force is also decreasing insize with ageing, with the majority of fishers in Japan
now over 60 years of age (Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries, 2008).
Figure 3 compares the volume of fishery products
landed from January 2010 to May 2012 at the ports of
Ofunato, Kesennuma, Onagawa, and Ishinomaki, all ofwhich are located in Japan’s tsunami-affected northeastern region. Before the disaster, these ports recorded peak
production levels from the summer to autumn months,
and their lowest landing volumes around the spring. As
previously mentioned, the seasonal migration patterns ofmajor fish species, including Pacific saury and chumsalmon, which approach near-shore waters in autumn,
contribute to this seasonal cycle.
All four ports recorded several months with no landings following the disasters of March, 2011. But even
before this point, the season had been characterized bylower landing volumes. After the resumption of landingsin July 2011, the volume recovered to approximately
50% of the 2010 level by the peak season of autumn,
2011.
The recovery in 2011 (the year of the disaster) is remarkable considering that most of the region’s landing
ports were almost completely destroyed by the tsunami.
Major fishing ports in the affected areas of northeasternJapan’s Tohoku region rapidly recovered their functions
during the year of the disaster. Recovery of ports plays acritical role in the landing of fish. During interviews
conducted by the author in Kesennuma in February 2012,67

a local processor reported. “Many offshore fishing boats
wanted to land skipjack-tuna at Kesennuma in the summer of 2011 as in pre-disaster years, but we were forced
to reject many of them because only a portion of theonshore processing facilities and distribution infrastructure had been rehabilitated from the disaster. These boats
went to Ofunato and landed their catch there.” Likewise,a respondent in Ofunato explained, “When the
Kesennuma market is closed, Ofunato has a larger volume of bonito. Local stakeholders are happy about it.”
Although major fishing ports in the tsunami-affectedarea rapidly recovered their functions during the year ofthe disaster, many small ports remain damaged and few
residents have returned to their surrounding areas. A gap
in the recovery across the affected region exists, andseems to widening.
In addition, the recovery slowed down over the courseof 2012 and 2013 – even for major fishing ports - asshown in Fig.3. It can be argued that this slowing down of
the recovery is attributable not only to the status of theports or boats in the production venues, but also to theperformance of distribution and marketing networks forfishery products in primary consumption areas (such as
Tokyo or Osaka). These considerations are relevant because the fishery industry constitutes not only fishers, butalso a range of processors, distributors, retailers and otherservice providers. Further discussion of this aspect isprovided in the following section.

3. The Status of Fishery Products in Major
Consumption Markets
Before the March 2011 disaster, the tsunami-affectedarea produced approximately 10% of Japan’s marine
products. Since about half of the marine products consumed in Japan are imported from overseas, this region’sshare of the Japanese market is around 5%. Production

Fig. 3 Landing volume in major fishing ports in the tsunami-damaged areas before and after the disaster(source: prepared by the author based on data from the Japan Fisheries Information Service Center;
unit: 1,000 tons). The vertical dotted line indicates when the tsunami disaster occurred.

68

N. YAGI

shortfalls can therefore be offset rather easily with products from other Japanese prefectures or countries. Thereis a considerable possibility of fishery products generated
by the area being forgotten by markets in Tokyo or Osaka
if there is a cessation of production across multiple years.
Previous literature has noted that in the case ofJapan’s fishery distribution, the market power rests withretail stores and consumers, and even if ex-vessel prices
for fishery products decrease, their retail prices do notchange for a certain period (Sakai et al., 2012; Nakajima
et al., 2011). In other words, supermarkets exercise
greater market power over the value chain, as reflected
for example in their requirement for wholesalers to deliver seafood products at a consistent schedule, volume,
price and quality (the so-called “four constant conditions”). Producers who fail to meet these conditions may
be unable to keep their products on store shelves. If they
repeatedly fail to fulfill all these requirements, theirproducts will be replaced with those of other prefectures
or overseas producers. Subsequently, they will facedifficulties in regaining their market outlets regardless ofprogress towards reconstruction of the area.
Other players in value chain also follow their own
business priorities. Local processing or distribution
companies, as compared with local fishers, have a relatively easier time moving to other areas and establishing
new businesses without returning to the tsunami-affectedareas. This is due to fishing activities being geographically linked to specific marine areas designated by fishing licenses, while processing or distribution industries
are under no such administrative requirements. In fact,some of the largest processing facilities in the disaster-affected region decided to relocate their factories
outside of these areas, and they still have not returned to
the region.
Additionally, consumers are sensitive to the possible
contamination of fishery products due to radioactive
substances. Prior to going into more detail on this issue,
the next section provides an overview of the most recent
state of the fisheries industry in Fukushima Prefecture.

4. The Current Status of the Fisheries
Industry in Fukushima Prefecture
In Fukushima, significant damage has been caused by
the large-scale release of radioactive substances from the
Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant operated by the
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). On March 15,
2011, the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries
Co-operative Association (hereafter referred to as the
Fukushima FCA) voluntarily stopped fishing operationsin the waters inside Fukushima Prefecture.
The government did not revoke fishing licenses inFukushima, but issued instructions prohibiting the sale ofcertain marine products caught in the waters off
Fukushima Prefecture due to food safety requirements.
The allowable level of radioactive cesium set by the Japanese government was 500 Bq/kg until March 31, 2012,
but this was reduced to 100 Bq/kg on April 1, 2012 for all

fisheries products (Fisheries Agency of Japan, 2014b).
In addition, the national government established speciesspecific prohibitions on sales and marketing for certain
agricultural and fishery products originating from certain
areas regardless of the actual measured levels of radioactive substances.
Some fishing activities in the prefectures neighboring
Fukushima (namely Miyagi and Ibaraki) were also suspended after the TEPCO accident, but most of these havebeen lifted. Marketing and distribution of most species
from Miyagi and Ibaraki were allowed as of February
2014. Prohibitions, however, continue in Ibaraki forseven marine species, including sea bass (Lateolabrax
japonicus) and five freshwater species including char
(Salvelinus richardson) (Ibaraki Prefecture, 2014). Likewise, prohibitions exist on two marine species and five
freshwater species in Miyagi (Miyagi Prefecture, 2014).
From March 2011 to June 2012, all commercial fishing activities in Fukushima waters were suspended.
During this period, various governmental institutes collected and analyzed samples of marine organisms andreleased information on levels of radioactive substances.
Based on these data, which are available online, the list of
sales prohibitions has been periodically revised bygovernments. As of December 2013, a prohibition was ineffect for 40 marine species living in Fukushima waters(Fukushima Prefecture, 2014).
Before the accident, the fisheries industry inFukushima was more successful than the national average in terms of sales and the existence of young successors to continue fishing activities. One possible reason
for this success was cooperation between fishing boats
and onshore fish distributors to improve product values
through due-care handling of landed fish. In the Soma
Futaba district of northern Fukushima, “beach mothers”
carefully selected the landed fish, discerning brokers
bought the selected fish at reasonable prices, restaurants
and retail shops purchased fish from trusted brokers, andconsumers who favored such establishments did their
shopping or had meals there (Yagi, 2013). The connection between local fishers and consumers is consideredrelatively strong in the Fukushima region (Yagi, 2013).
Many of the fishers in Fukushima have been receiving
a certain level of compensation from TEPCO since thenuclear accident. Legally, TEPCO, as the nuclear power
plant operator, is obligated to compensate fishers forvoluntarily stopping their operations in Fukushima(Fisheries Agency of Japan, 2012). Although TEPCO ispaying compensation, there are many complaints fromfishers. These include (i) some fishers are unable tosubmit evidence to calculate the amount of actual
damage because sales slips dated before the accident
were lost during the tsunami, resulting in inappropriatecompensation to such fishers, (ii) processing/distribution
companies are considering leaving Fukushima as theycannot get adequate compensation, and (iii) fishers canneither estimate how long they need to continue thecessation of their operation nor make long-term plans forthe future (Yagi, 2013).

The State of Fishing Industry in Fukushima after the Nuclear Power Plant Accident

5. Movements Toward a Limited Resumptionof Fishing Operations in Fukushima
Under these circumstances, the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Association
launched the “Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries Reconstruction Committee” with the aim of reconstructing thefisheries industry and restarting fisheries operations. The
committee has repeatedly discussed key obstacles torestarting fishing operations.
The author is a member of this committee and recallsthat the main focus of its discussions was as follows:“Even if we start fishing operations again, consumers
will not buy our fish. In the worst case, all domestic fish
products will be targets of bad rumors. If we do nothing,
however, associated distribution/wholesale, food/retail,restaurants and consumers in the coastal area of
Fukushima will disappear.”In the face of these conditions, the author took note asa participant that the committee discussed issues including the following:• Among marine organisms collected at sea along thecoast of Fukushima for a monitoring survey, radioactive cesium was detected in squid and octopuses
immediately after the accident, but as the level ofradioactive substances in the seawater decreased, nocesium was detected in later samples;• These findings are consistent with the IAEA reportthat shows marine invertebrate animals to have low
concentration factors compared to fish (figures calculated by dividing the level of cesium contained in the
body by the level of cesium contained in the water)(IAEA, 2004);• On the other hand, as of June 2012, more than
100 Bq/kg of radioactive cesium was still being
recorded in Japanese sea bass and other fish species
living in the coastal area;• Radioactive cesium contained in water, sediment or
marine organisms enters into the bodies of fish,
meaning that low levels of cesium in the former areas
should translate into low cesium levels within thebodies of fish;• A monitoring survey conducted after the accident
showed that the level of radioactive substances in thebodies of fish is site-specific; it is higher in samples
collected near the nuclear plant and becomes lower inthose collected in deeper ocean areas; and• According to an IAEA report (IAEA, 2004), saltwater
fish tend not to accumulate cesium at as high of levels
as freshwater fish. This mechanism can be explained
as follows: in freshwater, the osmotic pressure of afish’s body fluids is higher than that of the surrounding
water, and the fish actively cycle water out of theirbodies while retaining salt and minerals in order tomaintain normal levels of osmotic pressure. During
this process, cesium accumulates within the collected
salt and minerals. On the other hand, the osmoticpressure in the bodies of saltwater fish is lower thanthat of the surrounding seawater. To prevent the loss of69

too much water from their bodies and to maintainbalance, saltwater fish actively cycle salt and minerals– along with cesium – out of their bodies.
Several analyses have also been conducted by independent researchers outside the government. Kikkawa
et al. (2014) used published data for 8,683 samples ofaquatic animals and plants obtained off the coast of
Fukushima from 2011 to 2013 and evaluated the levels ofradioactive cesium (134Cs+137Cs) for 95 species (a totalof 97 fishery items including two species that are marketed separately for adult and immature stages). Theirresults of cluster analysis using parameters of annual
average and standard deviation of radioactive cesium
concentration levels indicated that the 97 items could be
categorized into four groups. The first group had lower
concentrations and lower variability across both the firstand second years (60 items); the second group showed adecline in concentration levels in the second year, but
remained high (21 items); the third group had extremely
high initial concentrations, but the levels became almost
undetectable in the second year (one item); and the fourthgroup exhibited high contamination levels across the twoyears (15 items) (Kikkawa et al., 2014). The researchers
argued that almost all the items in the first and thirdgroups satisfied the government’s food safety standards
in the second year. On the other hand, products in thesecond and the fourth groups did not satisfy the standard,
and needed to be closely monitored (Kikkawa et al.,2014).
In June 2012, taking into account the above information, the Fukushima Prefectural Federation ofFisheries Cooperative Associations (hereafter referred toas the Fisheries Cooperative) decided to resume fishingactivities for three species (two octopus species and one
shellfish species) living at depths of more than 150
meters in ocean areas approximately 60-90 km from thetroubled nuclear power plant. Because the government
did not revoke fishing licenses for fishers in Fukushima
after the nuclear power plant accident, the fishermen
themselves were left to decide whether to resume commercial fisheries targeting species which meet government food safety standards. The Fisheries Cooperative
chose three invertebrate species based on information
derived from (i) previous literature published by the
IAEA indicating that concentrations of radioactive
cesium were low in marine invertebrate animals (IAEA,
2004) and (ii) results from monitoring after the
Fukushima accident that were consistent with the conclusions of the IAEA report.
This signifies a limited resumption of fishing activities. Limitations include (i) days of operation (usuallyless than five days a month), (ii) the amount of landedfish (usually less than ten tons a day), and (iii) the numberof vessels involved in fishing operations and market
distribution. These restrictions are considered necessary
in order to maintain a high frequency of monitoring forradioactive substances and to ensure traceability following landing of marine products. When any product exceeds the standard levels of radioactive substances found70

N. YAGIat sites receiving shipments, all products are to be calledback immediately.
Landed octopus and shellfish were actually sold witha label indicating Fukushima as their point of origin.
Most of these were sold in local supermarkets in the area,and sold out very quickly due most likely to the small
quantity of available items and a number of consumers
wishing to help their local fishers by purchasing theirproducts.
The committee noted that some consumers are likely
to have objections to the limited resumption of fishingactivities, saying that no fishing operations should beallowed when there is a possibility that marine productswith higher levels of radioactive substances might be on
the market. Some may also object to the limited checking
for radioactive substances, not for the full catch, but onlya sample. The committee argued, “Each individual has aright to select what they want. Rather than trying to persuade consumers that Fukushima products on the market
are safe, it is better to label the products clearly as
originating from Fukushima and allow consumers tomake their own decisions about consumption behaviors.”
The number of species allowed under limited fisheryoperations gradually expanded in 2012: seven species
were added in August, and another three species wereadded in November. An additional 18 species were added
to the list over the course of 2013. Thus a total of 31
species are subject to limited fishery operations as ofFebruary 2014 (Fukushima FCA, 2014).

6. Discussion
Based on these observations, full recovery of
Fukushima fisheries is hardly expected in one or two
years. Some options for reconstruction of the fisheries
industry under these circumstances can be proposed asfollows:
First, issues related to weak consumer confidence
following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Plant need to be addressed. Numerous incidents of
weak consumer confidence in fisheries products from thetsunami-affected areas have been reported by newspapers(such as a Yomiuri newspaper article on May 14, 2012 (inJapanese)) and other media in Japan. Our team has also
conducted an online survey of consumer attitudes toward
products from the tsunami-affected region, with aparticular focus on Miyagi (a neighboring Prefecturenorth of Fukushima). The results show that consumers’
willingness to pay for Miyagi salmon products is relatively high because they wish to contribute to the recovery of the tsunami-affected areas by purchasing thesefisheries products. At the same time, consumers have acertain hesitation to buy fisheries products from theseareas because of concerns over possible contaminationfrom radioactive substances. (The data are from theauthor’s own research with his team. A separate publication is planned on this research). If the establishment of
accurate traceability mechanisms in the value chains canplay a role in reducing their concerns, it can be an effec-

tive countermeasure to help increase consumer confidence in fishery products originating in the tsunamiaffected areas.
Second, it should be noted that reforming the value
chains of fishery products not only contributes potentially to increasing consumer confidence, but also toaddressing various unresolved fishery issues. Even before the tsunami, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan frequently advocated theneed for producers to be directly involved in productsales in order to increase the income of fishers or
agricultural farmers. MAFF published a report indicating
that, while producers receive 24.7% of the retail price ofthe fish, retailors receive 38.5% and middlemen/distributers receive the remaining share (36.8%) (Fisheries
Agency of Japan, 2009).
The idea here is to enlarge the share of producers in
the value chain. In Japan, it is extremely difficult to raise
the price of fishery products in retail markets due to theexistence of competing products, a challenge that isfurther exacerbated by the steady increase in imports offishery products, a strong Japanese yen and low tariff
rates (Shima, et al., 2012) The income level of fishers has
therefore fallen due to increasing global competition andescalating fuel costs, leaving expansion of the share ofJapanese fishers in the value chain as a final option forstrengthening their position (Shima, et al., 2012).
If reforming the value chains of fishery products canhelp to reverse the current weak position of producers in
the value chain (compared with retailers as pointed out by
Nakajima (2011)), this could provide a solution to theeconomic weakness of Japan’s fish harvesting sectors asa whole that pre-dates the March 2011 disaster. Such ashift may take the form of new e-commerce businessmechanisms to sell products more efficiently to urban
consumers, and any other form of direct marketing toconsumers would also be useful.
Increased communication between producers andconsumers may also help increase consumer confidence
and their participation in resource conservation throughpurchasing practices as informed consumers. Consumers
generally do not have proper information about the manner in which fishery and aquaculture products are generated and harvested. It has been pointed out that misperceptions can also have an adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. While
bluefin tuna and other over-exploited species exist,
supermarkets in Japan sell these every day at slashedprices after dinner time to avoid retaining unsold stockpiles of perishable sashimi, fostering a misperception
among consumers that bluefin tuna is abundant andtherefore sold at dumping prices (Yagi, 2011).
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of theUnited Nations has indicated that “about 29.9 percent ofstocks are overexploited, producing lower yields thantheir biological and ecological potential” and “theproportion of non-fully exploited stocks has decreased
gradually since 1974 when the first FAO assessment wascompleted” (FAO, 2012). Because the end price of fish is

The State of Fishing Industry in Fukushima after the Nuclear Power Plant Accident

sometimes cheap, consumers are usually unaware of the
scarcity of such fish resources. Likewise, although IUU(illegal, unreported and unregulated) fisheries are detrimental to bluefin tuna and other fish resources, consumers are generally unaware of the existence of IUU fishingactivities. Furthermore, price-conscious consumers may
select cheap products harvested through IUU activities
over fish products harvested by fishers who commit theirown resources at their own expense to conservation
management. This may induce adverse selection problems (OECD, 2004). In addition to providing food safety
information, it would be useful to make information on
the state of resource conservation available to encourage
and maintain sustainable consumption activities.
Increased exchange of information between consumers and producers can also provide incentives for fishers
to strengthen their conservation efforts. Current businesspractices aim at harvesting a wide variety of fish ofdifferent species and different sizes, without being fully
aware of consumer preferences, and then showcasing
them at retail shops. As a consequence, many fish are left
unsold in supermarkets or other consumption sites, andare discarded. The key to solving the problem of postharvest losses is to receive information on consumer
consumption trends prior to engaging in fishing activities.
Developing new value-added products with a longer
preservation period and promoting these among consumers may be another way to address this issue.
In order to increase communication between producers and consumers, it could also be effective to shorten
the distribution channel. Domestic fish distribution in
Japan is composed of multiple layers of traders with twostages of wholesale markets – at the landing site and at
the consumption site. The first landing site handles theharvested fish and includes middlemen and distributors,
while the consumption site wholesale market (such as
Tsukiji Market in Tokyo) is located in cities and includes
wholesalers and brokers. Retailers are then added to thevalue chain. Information about the production site is hard
to communicate to consumers across this long value
chain.
One possible measure is to establish a shortened
distribution channel that directly connects producers andconsumers through an e-commerce system. This is notmeant to replace existing distribution channels, but rather
supplement them. It may spur the establishment of a new
type of food system in which specific consumer preferences come first, and production activities take place
after specific market demands are recognized. This system could be referred to as a Just-In-Time method for thefisheries industry, which would contribute to resource
conservation and to increased consumer confidence. It
could thus help to revive Fukushima’s troubled fisheryindustry following the accident at the nuclear power plant.
Although this approach has never been introduced to any
area in Japan, it would be worth trying in an effort tosupport the rehabilitation of fisheries in Fukushima andother tsunami-affected areas.

71

References
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)(2012) The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. FAO,
Rome.
Fisheries Agency of Japan (2009) The Fisheries White Paper
in 2009. (in Japanese) <http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/
wpaper/h21/gaiyou.html> (accessed in February 2014)
Fisheries Agency of Japan (2012) Questions and Answeers on thePower-plant Accident, Homepage of Fisheries Agency. (inJapanese) <http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/sigen/gensiryoku/index.
html> (accessed in August 2012)
Fisheries Agency of Japan (2014a) The Great East Japan Earthquake’s Impact on Fisheries and Future Measures, January 2014.
(in Japanese)
Fisheries Agency of Japan (2014b) Questions and Answers on
Fisheries. (in Japanese) <http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/kakou/Q_
A/ index.html> (accessed in February 2014)
Fukushima Fisheries Co-operative Associations (FCA) (2014) A
List of Marine Species Permitted for the Limited Experimental
Operations in Fukushima Fisheries. (in Japanese) <http://www.
jf-net.ne.jp/fsgyoren/siso/buhin/taisyousyu.pdf> (accessed in
February 2014)
Fukushima Prefecture (2014) Homepage of Fisheries Division,
Fukushima Prefecture. (in Japanese) <http://wwwcms.pref.
fukushima.jp/pcp_portal/ PortalServlet> (accessed in February
2014)
Ibaraki Prefecture (2014) Restricted Items for Marketing andDistributions as of February 21, 2014. (in Japanese)<http://www. pref.ibaraki.jp/nourin/gyosei/housyanou_jyouhou.
html#4> (accessed in February 2014)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (2004) Sediment
distribution coefficients and concentration factors for biota inthe marine environment. Technical Report, 422. International
Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.
Kikkawa, T., N. Yagi and H. Kurokura (2014) The state of concentration of radioactive cesium in marine organisms collectedfrom the Fukushima coastal area: a species by species evaluation.
Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, 80: 27-33.
(in Japanese)
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) (2008)
2008 Fisheries Census Conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries, Japan. (in Japanese) <http://www.
maff.go.jp/j/tokei/census/fc/2008/pdf/gyogyou_census08_kakut
ei.pdf> (accessed in February 2014)
Miyagi Prefecture (2014) Restricted Items for Marketing andDistributions as of February 18, 2014. (in Japanese) <http://
www.pref.miyagi.jp/uploaded/attachment/245220.pdf> (accessed in February 2014)
Nakajima, T., T. Matsui, Y. Sakai and N. Yagi (2011) An approachto capture changes in asymmetric price transmission: Rolling
window TAR estimations using the blue fin tuna data. Journalof International Fisheries, 10: 1-18.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) (2003) Liberalising Fisheries Markets: Scope andEffects. OECD Publication. Paris.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) (2004) Fish Piracy: Combating Illegal, Unreported
and Unregulated Fishing. OECD Publication, Paris.
Sakai, Y., T. Nakajima, T. Matsui and N. Yagi (2012) AsymmetricPrice Transmission in the Japanese Seafood Market. Bulletin of
the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, 78: 468-478. (inJapanese)
Shima, K. et al., eds. (2012) Fisheries Handbook Completely
Revised, Kodansha, Tokyo. (in Japanese)
Yagi, N. (2011) A Crisis Approaching Dining Tables: the Future of
Fisheries Resources of the Global Society. Kodansha, Tokyo.
(in Japanese)

72

N. YAGI

Yagi, N. (2013) Challenges faced with fishing industries inFukushima and their long-term solutions. Bulletin of theJapanese Society of Fisheries Science, 79: 88-90. (in Japanese)

Nobuyuki YAGI
Nobuyuki YAGI is an associate professor at the
University of Tokyo. His area of study includes
marketing and consumer behaviors as well as the
economics of ocean conservation. He received his
MBA from the Wharton School of the Universityof Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, and his PhDfrom the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life
Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Japan. He has been an elected memberof the Executive Committee of IIFET (International Institute of Fisheries
Economics & Trade) since 2014 and of an expert panel for the IPBES(Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) since 2014. He served as a bureau member for the OECD
Committee for Fisheries from 2003 to 2008 and as a friend of the Chair(Rules Negotiation on fisheries subsidies) of the WTO from 2007 to 2008.
His publications include a report coauthored with others in 2012 on theapplicability of ITQs in Japanese fisheries, comparing rights-based
fisheries management in Iceland, Japan and the United States, whichappeared Marine Policy.

(Received 24 February 2014, Accepted 2 July 2014)