Gibier sales value in Japan FY 2017-2022

In fiscal year 2022, the sales value of game meat at processing facilities in Japan amounted to around 3.4 billion Japanese yen. Game meat in Japan, commonly known as the French term gibier, includes mainly wild boars, deer, and wild birds, with bears and badgers being served as local specialties.

Hunting the game

Commercially available game meat in Japan is derived from small farms, in particular for venison, and hunting of wildlife. In recent years, damages to the agricultural sector caused by wildlife have been growing, with deer and boars being identified as the main causes. As a measure to reduce the animal populations, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has been promoting the hunt for wild animals and their use as a food source.

Game in the domestic meat market

Even though the Japanese MAFF has been promoting game meat as food in Japan, only just over half of Japanese consumers are aware of wildlife as a food product, with only a small share knowing about it in detail. To alleviate consumer concerns about food safety, a certification system for businesses was introduced in 2018 to label products that are produced under strict hygiene standards. Nonetheless, game meat is far from reaching the consumption levels of meats from conventional livestock in Japan.