HIROSHIMA -- Oysters from Hiroshima Prefecture have been exported to the European Union, marking Japan's first oyster exports to the region. The plane carrying the unshucked frozen mollusks took off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Thursday.
With the domestic market expected to shrink due to the declining population, the Hiroshima prefectural government is looking overseas to expand its oyster sales channels. Hiroshima boasts the largest volume of oysters caught and farmed in the nation.
In recent years, the prefecture's annual production of oysters has hovered near 20,000 tons -- not including shell weight -- accounting for 60% of Japan's total. The oysters exported to the EU were farmed in Mitsu Bay off Higashi-Hiroshima and then frozen by Kunihiro Inc., a seafood processing company in Onomichi in the prefecture. The oysters can be consumed raw after thawing.
