The much-anticipated U.S.-Japan bilateral meeting last fall in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on fresh potato access has concluded. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, Japan refused again to provide the necessary documents to allow the process to move forward.
Despite the efforts of the National Potato Council, our state partners, and our elected official allies, Japan continues to protect their potato industry’s monopoly and ignore the Biden Administration’s efforts.
For over two decades, the U.S. potato industry has been working to gain full access to the Japanese market. While the U.S. has successfully exported chipping potatoes to Japan since 2006, the broader market for fresh potatoes, including table stock potatoes, remains elusive. The potential economic benefits are substantial, with estimates suggesting that opening the Japanese market could generate annual exports worth upwards of $150 million.
Rather than arguing technical points, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Farming, and Fisheries (MAFF) simply stalls at each formal meeting between the two governments, then waits a year to stall again. Following last year’s negotiation in Tokyo, where the Japanese vaguely committed to “making progress” on the issue, there has been no interaction between USDA and MAFF on the issue at all. That stalemate was punctuated again this year in Idaho, where there was no movement on the issue.
The continued delay comes despite heightened involvement by our elected leaders, including an April 2024 letter authored by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, along with eight of their Senate colleagues urging President Biden to raise the topic during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Washington, D.C.
State leaders have also thrown their influence behind the effort. During the U.S.-Japan bilaterial, Idaho Governor Brad Little took time out of his schedule to join the delegation for a tour of Idaho potato-growing operation, Wada Farms. Governor Little also announced he is leading an Idaho-based trade mission to Japan in November 2024, where he’ll continue to press for fair and open access to the fresh market.
The ramifications of Japan’s reluctance are far-reaching. The U.S. potato industry supports more than 714,000 American workers and contributes more than $100 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Opening the Japanese market would not only benefit these American workers but also provide Japanese consumers with high-quality, competitively priced potatoes year-round — demand their politically influential domestic growers have been unable to consistently meet. The current impasse does a disservice to both nations.
The lack of progress coming out of September’s U.S.-Japan bilateral is a stark reminder of the challenges faced in international trade negotiations. Only a few short years ago, agriculture was one of the only sectors of the U.S. economy to generate a trade surplus. Sadly, for the coming year, the U.S. is estimated to be running a $42.5 billion trade deficit in agriculture, the largest in history.
Successfully breaking past the stalemate with Japan will require focused collaboration across the U.S. potato industry. Much as we saw with the successful opening of Mexico, that singular focus by a unified industry over time can yield very positive results on a goal previously thought impossible.
Agricultural trade negotiations are a team effort, and together, we can break down barriers and create opportunities for U.S. growers. Regardless of who’s in the White House next year, we encourage growers and industry leaders to join us in D.C. at the 2025 Washington Summit to lend their voices to the fight for fair and open access to Japan’s market.