Demand for Japanese cuisine lifts exports to Malaysia
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KUALA LUMPUR: Growing appreciation for Japanese cuisine is propelling exports of Japanese agricultural, seafood, and food products to Malaysia, according to Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) Kuala Lumpur managing director Koichi Takano. Japan's exports to Malaysia in these sectors surged to 29.1 billion yen in 2024, marking a 26.3 percent increase from the previous year.
This surge highlights Malaysia's rising significance as a key market for Japan in Southeast Asia, driven by escalating demand for Japanese food products among local consumers and businesses.
Takano attributed the surge to heightened awareness of washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine, which was inscribed on the UN's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. Furthermore, the impact of e-commerce and travel to Japan has also fueled demand for Japanese cuisine. The proliferation of Japanese restaurants worldwide underscores the global establishment of Japanese culinary traditions.
Looking ahead, Takano expressed optimism about Malaysia's potential as a strategic gateway for expanding Japanese food culture and products across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other predominantly Muslim markets. He pointed to Malaysia's multicultural society and established distribution networks as a successful model for promoting Japanese cuisine.
Takano anticipates that more Japanese companies will establish food service businesses in the region in the coming years, further bolstering Japanese exports to Malaysia and the broader ASEAN region.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
