Firms show off Japanese food at event in Brazil

SAO PAULO –

Japanese businesses showed off their food products at an event in Sao Paulo on Monday as demand for authentic washoku Japanese cuisine is growing in Brazil.

OK Corporation, a company based in Yaizu, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture known for its tuna fishing port, will start selling in Brazil this month the fish that the company imports from Japan by freezing it at minus 60 degrees Celsius.

There is a business opportunity as tuna prices are high because of short supply, OK Corporation head Kenji Ogawa said at the event hosted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

Tradbras Importacao E Exportacao, a Brazilian unit of Japanese food manufacturer Kikkoman, showed off rice made in Niigata Prefecture.

Brazilians recognized Japanese foods’ high quality through trips to Japan, Tradbras President Masahiro Miura said.

The company started importing Niigata-made rice earlier this year. It aims to sell the rice to retailers in addition to restaurants.

Brazil imports few Japanese fishery products, which occupy about 20% of Japanese food exports, Tetsuya Inoue, director-general of JETRO’s Sao Paulo office, said, noting a large market opportunity for them.