An opportunity to strengthen buckwheat exports to Japan exists with the introduction of improved varieties and value-added products. Many Japanese firms in regional centres are smaller than the Tokyo-based national and multinational giants and offer a more comfortable fit for Canadian companies, which often find it hard to gain attention from big Japanese corporations. Production of Private Brand items can be an effective approach. Opportunities exist for meat, vegetables, fruits, berries, confectionaries, juice concentrates, purees, herbs, seasonings, noodles, seafood and a host of other products in fresh, canned, frozen, dried or freeze-dried form. Blueberries, cheese and vitamin fortified milk products have become very popular in Japan, while lesser known products such as cranberry and saskatoon berry products are attracting interest.
Opportunities exist at the retail, foodservice and food manufacturing levels.
The challenges of doing business in a country with significant cultural and language differences, as well as uncertainty over the speed and strength of Japan's economic recovery coupled with a strong North American economy may dissuade companies from shifting their market development efforts from more stable markets, such as the United States. Also, non-tariff barriers prevent some products from entry. Public concern in Japan regarding the safety of food products is considerable, especially given a number of highly exposed incidents which have occurred in the past year and the confusion in the market regarding the safety of genetically modified food products. Additionally, imported foods often receive closer scrutiny than domestic products. There is also a trend to value-shopping with consumers demanding the highest quality at better prices.