Meat consumption and consumer attitudes in Japan: An overview

Among Asian countries, Japan has the shortest history of eating meat in its food culture. It was only after 2007 that household fresh meat consumption surpassed fresh fish consumption in Japan. Although it was forecast that slowing population and economic growth would limit the demand for meat, household meat consumption in 2020 increased remarkably from that in 2019, perhaps due to COVID-19. Meat consumption has regional variations within Japan attributable to historical background. Japanese consumers prefer domestically produced meat and focus on the visual characteristics of meat, in particular marbling. Extrinsic factors such as information also contribute to Japanese consumers' meat choices more than the quality of the meat. Although Japanese consumers are concerned about the safety of meat, reassurance from appropriate inspection will restore their purchasing intention. Novel factors such as animal welfare and environment-friendly production are also recognized in Japan. Also notable is that wild animal meat consumption is beginning to increase in recent years.