In addition to football, Brazil and Japan maintain strategic negotiations for agriculture

Brazil and Japan face each other in the World Cup this Monday (29), in Houston, in the United States. Despite the football meeting, the relationship between the two countries is not limited to sport. Brazil has been trying for more than 20 years to advance the opening of the Japanese market for beef exports, one of the main agendas of Brazilian agribusiness.

According to data from MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock), Japan imports around 70% of the beef it consumes, a volume that represents approximately US$4 billion per year.

Of this total, around 80% originate in the United States and Australia, countries that are traditional suppliers to the Japanese market. In the case of Brazil, negotiations for beef exports to Japan are ongoing and the most recent health protocol has been under discussion for around five years.

The Brazilian government, Famato (Mato Grosso Agriculture and Livestock Federation) and the export industry are working to open the Japanese market to national products, in a negotiation considered strategic by the sector.

"Japan is treated as a premium destination, with a high level of health requirements and greater added value. Currently, Japanese beef imports are concentrated in traditional suppliers, such as the United States and Australia", says Cleiton Gauer, superintendent of Imea.

In March this year, the Japanese government carried out an in-person health audit of the Brazilian agricultural defense system. The Japanese technical mission evaluated the country's animal health system as part of the risk analysis process for the eventual opening of the market to Brazilian beef.

For Brazil, the world's largest protein exporter, accessing this market would mean more than increasing volume. "Entry into Japan would represent a seal of quality and health in one of the most rigorous consumer markets in the world. For Mato Grosso, owner of the largest cattle herd in the country and one of the main national meat exporters, the opening would create a concrete possibility of commercial diversification and appreciation of the product", says Cleiton.

Negotiations gained strength after the recognition of Brazil as a country free from foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, a health condition considered essential to advance in more restrictive markets.

Pork and Chicken

Data from the MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services), based on Secex (Secretariat of Foreign Trade), show that chicken meat remains the main animal protein shipped by Brazil to Japan, while pork has been increasing its participation in the export basket.

In 2025, fresh, chilled or frozen chicken meat accounted for 18.8% of all Brazilian exports destined for the Japanese market. According to data from MDIC/Secex, the product generated revenues of more than US$ 1.03 billion, becoming the second main item on the list of Brazilian exports to Japan.

The performance gained even more strength in 2026. Between January and May, the share of chicken meat rose to 20.5% of the total value exported by Brazil to Japan. Considering Brazilian exports of US$ 2.4 billion in the period, sales of the protein generated approximately US$ 492 million.

Pork has also been growing in the Japanese market. According to data from MDIC/Secex, protein represented 4.7% of Brazilian exports to Japan in 2025, generating around US$258.5 million throughout the year.

In the first five months of 2026, the share of pork increased to 7.5% of the revenue obtained from Brazilian exports to Japan. The percentage corresponds to approximately US$ 180 million in sales between January and May.

Coffee

Coffee also occupies a prominent position in the trade relationship between Brazil and Japan. According to Cecafé (Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council), Japan imported 2.647 million 60-kilo bags of Brazilian coffee in 2025, a volume 19.4% higher than that recorded in 2024. With this performance, the Asian country now ranks fourth among the largest buyers of Brazilian coffee.

Japanese demand for higher value-added coffees has also been opening up new opportunities for Brazilian exporters. This year, Expocacer (Cerrado Coffee Growers Cooperative) carried out the first export of naturally decaffeinated non-roasted specialty coffee to Japan.

8.4 tons were shipped, equivalent to 140 bags of 60 kilos, through the Port of Santos (SP). According to the cooperative, the operation was part of a commercial repositioning strategy developed over the last three years, which identified decaffeinated coffee as a promising niche in the international market. The volume shipped alone exceeds Brazilian annual exports of unroasted decaffeinated coffee recorded in each year since 2020.

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Bilateral trade

In 2025, bilateral trade totaled US$11.5 billion. Brazilian exports to Japan reached US$5.5 billion, while imports reached US$6.1 billion, resulting in a deficit of US$562.6 million for Brazil. Japan ranked 10th among the main destinations for Brazilian exports.

Other products also stood out in the commercial relationship. Brazil exported 12.63 million tons of iron ore to Japan, with revenue of US$960 million.

In the opposite direction, Brazil imported 95.78 thousand tons of Japanese auto parts, totaling US$ 1.15 billion, reinforcing the strength of the Asian country's automotive industry.

The most recent data, referring to the period from January to May 2026, indicates a change in trend. Brazilian exports to Japan totaled US$2.4 billion, an increase of 11.9% in the annual comparison. Imports also reached US$2.4 billion, but with a drop of 8.6%.

As a result, trade reached US$4.8 billion and Brazil recorded a surplus of US$7.2 million in the period.

According to consolidated data from 2025 from Secex and compiled by IMEA (Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics), the state of Mato Grosso exported 311.94 thousand tons of soybean meal to Japan, with revenue of US$ 105.35 million. In the same period, sales of soybeans totaled 223.40 thousand tons, generating US$ 88.61 million.

Together, the two products accounted for 535.34 thousand tons shipped from Mato Grosso to the Japanese market, with total revenue of US$ 193.96 million.

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Source: CNN