OSLO: Norwegian Fisheries minister Per Sandberg will witness Norway’s strong position in Japan’s seafood market during a visit in late June, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).
The visit will showcase the wide variety of Norwegian seafood sold in Japan. In 2016, Norway exported seafood worth NOK 4.4 billion to the country, including salmon, trout, mackerel and king crab.
Sandberg’s schedule, which has been arranged by NSC, will include a visit to a port, processing and manufacturing industries, and seafood shops, including the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
The visit will also mark over three decades of NSC’s ‘Project Japan’ program, according to NSC envoy Gunvar Lenhard Wie.
“Over 30 years have passed since ‘Project Japan’ introduced Norwegian salmon to the discerning sushi lovers,” said Wie. “In 1985, it was unthinkable for the Japanese to eat salmon raw, now the Norwegian salmon is an obvious part of the Japanese sushi culture.”
“The legacy of the ‘Project Japan’ lives on in the highest degree. The preference for Norway as a country of origin is very strong and different Norwegian seafood is benefiting from the position that the salmon have gained here.”
Sandberg will also meet industry players during an evening at the Norwegian embassy on Friday June 23, said NSC.
