"Beef Is a Luxury, Pork Is Also a Stretch"... Japan, the Land of Tonkatsu, Cedes Top Spot to Chicken

Japanese Consumers Turn to Chicken Amid High Prices and a Weak Yen
Chicken Consumption Up 6% Over the Past Five Years... Beef Consumption Down 11%

As high prices and the yen's declining value lead more consumers in Japan to seek relatively inexpensive chicken, chicken consumption is surpassing pork consumption.

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Japanese Consumers Turn to Chicken Instead of Beef and Pork Amid High Prices and a Weak Yen

According to the Nikkei, an analysis of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan's food supply and demand table found that chicken consumption surpassed pork consumption for the second consecutive year. Last year, chicken consumption totaled 2.6 million metric tons, up 0.1% from the previous year. Pork consumption stood at 2.58 million metric tons, while beef consumption was 1.16 million metric tons.

Pork had long been the most consumed meat in Japan, but chicken consumption surpassed pork for the first time in 2024, and the trend continued last year. Pork and beef consumption each fell 0.5% from the previous year.

Over the past five years, chicken consumption increased by 6%, while beef consumption fell by 11% and pork consumption also declined slightly. Total meat consumption increased by 480,000 metric tons over the past 10 years, with chicken accounting for 70% of the increase.

This trend is attributed to more consumers turning to relatively inexpensive chicken as high prices increase the burden of food expenses. The weak yen has raised the prices of imported beef and pork, while rising feed costs are adding to upward price pressures across meat products.

Imported beef prices have risen in particular as drought in the United States has reduced supply. Since Japan relies on imports for 47% of its meat consumption, it is vulnerable to higher import prices resulting from the weak yen.

Meat production in Japan is also declining. Rising feed costs and the aging of livestock farmers are cited as the main reasons. Japan's self-sufficiency rate for meat, including feed, is less than 10%. As a result, rising prices for imported meat and feed inevitably add to upward pressure on domestic meat prices.

The Nikkei analyzed that meat demand is increasing worldwide, while supply is becoming less stable due to factors such as climate change. Some forecasts suggest that Japan, which relies heavily on imports, may face difficulties securing a stable supply of meat in the future.

Meat on display at a grocery store in Japan. Yonhap News Agency

Rising Food Costs: Six in 10 Cut Back on Dining Out and Cook More at Home

According to the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' household spending survey for July 2026, real consumer spending by households of two or more people fell from the same month a year earlier, marking an eighth consecutive month of decline. Food spending also decreased by 1.3%.

More people in Japan are cutting back on dining out and eating at home to save on food costs amid high prices. In a survey conducted in June 2026 by Japanese kitchen appliance maker Tiger Corporation of 658 men and women aged 20 and older, 90.4% of respondents said their food expenses had increased in recent years.

Of the respondents, 62.1% said they had increased the number of meals they eat at home and reduced the number of times they eat out. The most commonly cited reason was "cutting spending due to rising prices" (65.3%). The most common reason for choosing home-cooked meals was that they "offer better value for money than eating out," cited by 45.4% of respondents. This was followed by "convenience" (36.8%) and "nutritional balance" (34.7%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.