{
  "id": 13712652,
  "title": "Matcha Boom Propels Shizuoka Pref. Back to Top Spot for Green Tea Production",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/matcha-boom-propels-shizuoka-pref-back-to-top-spot-for-green-tea",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-11T07:00:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
    "slug": "the-japan-news-by-the-yomiuri-shimbun",
    "url": "https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/delicious/20261011-352619/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shizuoka Prefecture has reclaimed its position as Japan's leading producer of first-flush green tea leaves by volume this year, for the first time in two years, according to recent agriculture ministry crop statistics. This resurgence is primarily attributed to a shift in focus between two green tea styles: sencha and tencha.\n\nWhile sencha, made by steeping whole leaves in hot water, has traditionally been Shizuoka's mainstay, tencha, used to produce matcha, offers a higher production yield per unit area. As demand for matcha soars both domestically and internationally, Shizuoka is actively increasing its tencha production capacity.\n\nKiyotaka Suzuki, a 73-year-old tea farmer in Aoi Ward, Shizuoka, exemplifies this shift. Previously cultivating 1.80 hectares of sencha and 0.25 hectares of tencha, Suzuki has now reduced his sencha area to 1.20 hectares and increased tencha to 0.85 hectares. This year, his total harvest from first-flush green tea leaves jumped from 7.5 tons to 15 tons, doubling his income.\n\nThe prefecture's total first-flush crude tea production reached 10,700 tons, a 32% increase from 2024, surpassing Kagoshima Prefecture's 9,610 tons last year. Shizuoka had held the top spot in tea production volume since the ministry began tracking statistics, but was surpassed by Kagoshima in 2024 and 2025 for crude tea production and first-flush crude tea production, respectively.\n\nTo regain its top rank, Shizuoka launched the \"Japan Tea Shizuoka\" brand in spring, allowing only locally produced, processed, and finished first-flush tea under its name. The brand's logo showcases tea fields against a backdrop of Mt. Fuji. In 2025, 71.1 hectares of tea fields were converted to tencha production with assistance from prefectural subsidies.\n\nThe increased demand for matcha, driven by its popularity in beverages and desserts, coupled with higher prices, has provided a significant boost to the prefecture's tea industry. Shizuoka estimates overseas demand for matcha will reach 20,000 tons by 2040. The Japan Tea Export Promotion Council reports that matcha orders are pouring in from about 100 countries and regions worldwide.\n\nHowever, the supply chain is struggling to keep pace with this surge in demand. Shizuoka Prefecture aims to strengthen its production system by consolidating tea fields and integrating smart agriculture techniques. Hiroshi Nishikawa, manager of the prefecture's tea promotion department, views the current overseas green tea demand as an opportunity to establish a production system capable of meeting future needs.",
  "summary": "SHIZUOKA — Amid a global matcha boom, Shizuoka Prefecture regained its status as Japan’s top producer of first-flush green tea leaves by volume this year, for the first time in two years, according to agriculture ministry crop statistics.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}