Japan sits at the meeting point of two powerful ocean currents, the cold Oyashio flowing from the north and the warm Kuroshio moving through the Pacific, creating productive fishing grounds around an island nation whose cuisine has been shaped by the sea for centuries. Yet geography has not translated into seafood self-sufficiency. Japan has become heavily dependent on international supply chains for fish and shellfish, even as domestic waters remain central to its food culture, producing a striking contradiction in one of the world’s best-known seafood markets.
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