Scallops After the Ban

Scallops were Japan’s top seafood export, and China bought more than half of them. When Beijing banned Japanese seafood in August 2023, Hokkaido lost its biggest customer overnight. Two years later, scallop export value hit a record ¥90.6 billion without China. Buyers in the United States and Southeast Asia filled the gap.

A Market Lost in One Day

On 24 August 2023 Japan began releasing treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. China banned all seafood imports from Japan the same day, and Hong Kong restricted imports from ten prefectures.

The ban hit scallops hardest. According to FAO data, China took 55.8% of Japan’s scallop exports in 2022. Most of the scallops came from Hokkaido and Aomori. Many were shipped in the shell to Chinese plants, shucked there by hand, and re-exported to the US and other markets.

How the Industry Rerouted

New shucking sites

Shucking scallops is slow, manual work, and Japan does not have enough workers to do it at the old Chinese volumes. The government put together a ¥100.7 billion package for the fisheries sector. It paid for domestic processing equipment, new sales channels and buying up stock. In January 2024 Japanese seafood companies began trial processing of Hokkaido scallops in Vietnam, where labour costs are reported at 20 to 30% of Japanese rates.

The United States

The US was already the main end market for scallops processed in China. Japanese exporters began selling to it directly. US imports of Japanese scallops rose from 4.9 million pounds in 2020 to 14.7 million pounds in 2023, helped by weaker catches of Atlantic sea scallops. In the first half of 2024, Japan’s scallop exports to the US were up 64.1% year on year.

Southeast Asia

Vietnam became the largest buyer by volume in 2024. Much of that trade is processing. Scallops go to Vietnam in the shell, are shucked and frozen, and many then ship on to North America. Thailand also took more Japanese scallops.

From Volume to Value

The recovery was not a recovery in volume. Exports in 2025 were lower in tonnes than before the ban. Value rose because prices climbed. The new buyers paid more per kilo. Trade data show 2025 exports to the US down sharply in tonnes but close to flat in yen.

In August 2024 the chairman of the Japan Scallop Export Promotion Association said promotion had redirected only 20 to 30% of the exports lost to the China ban. The 2025 figures suggest that rising prices, not only new buyers, closed the rest of the gap.

China Opens, Then Closes Again

China eased the ban in 2025 for 37 prefectures, including Hokkaido. On 5 November 2025 about six tonnes of frozen Hokkaido scallops left for China, the first shipment in more than two years. Two weeks later, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks about Taiwan, Japanese media reported that China had suspended imports again.

For exporters, the brief reopening confirmed a lesson. China can return as a buyer, but it can also leave on political grounds with no warning. Many processors now plan for China as an extra market, not the base of the business.

Why It Matters for Overseas Buyers

• Importers and distributors — Hokkaido exporters now want direct relationships and long-term contracts outside China
• Processors in Southeast Asia — Vietnam and Thailand have become shucking hubs, which opens room for further processing partners
• Restaurant groups — Supply is steadier than in 2023, but prices are higher, so premium menus fit better than discount ones

Conclusion

Hokkaido’s scallop trade lost its biggest buyer and still set a record. It did so by selling direct to the US, shifting shucking to Southeast Asia and moving up in price. The next risk comes from the sea, not Beijing. Warming waters off Hokkaido are already affecting scallop farming, and that may decide the size of future harvests more than any trade ban.