To counter the impact of Russian surimi, the United States is increasing its marketing efforts in Japan.

U.S. share declines, Russia expands rapidly According to the latest data from the Japanese Ministry of Finance, from January to August 2025, Japan's total imports of pollock surimi amounted to 62,364 tons, almost unchanged year-on-year. Among these, U.S. supply declined by 10% to 46,186 tons, with its share falling from 83% in the same period last year to 74%; while Russia's exports surged by 52% to 16,177 tons. Price factors have become the focus of competition: the ex-factory average price of U.S. Alaska pollock surimi increased by 25% year-on-year to 411 yen per kilogram (about 2.75 U.S. dollars), while Russian surimi only increased by 8% to 360 yen, showing a clear price advantage. Russia's capacity expansion is a key driver. Data shows that Russia's pollock surimi production has jumped from 8,000 tons in 2021 to 71,000 tons in 2024, with an expected range of 80,000-82,000 tons in 2025. In the first seven months of this year alone, Russia's total exports to Japan, China, and ...