![A customer examines a Bibigo display at Don Quijote in Nakameguro, Tokyo. [Photo: CJ CheilJedang]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2025/09/29/20250929144444272000.jpg)
SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - With South Korean cuisine's growing global appeal, Japan is emerging as the next key market for its further growth.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Monday, exports of agricultural products and other food items to Japan reached a record $9.98 billion last year, boosted by shipments of instant noodles surging 31.1 percent to US$1.2 billion.
If this upward trend continues, total annual exports to the neighboring island country are expected to surpass $10 billion this year, prompting many market researchers to raise rosy prospects that Japan's processed food technology and distribution networks would accelerate South Korean food's expansion.
If this upward trend continues, total annual exports to the neighboring island country are expected to surpass $10 billion this year, with many market analysts predicting that Japan's advanced processed food technology and streamlined distribution networks could further accelerate the growth of South Korean food products.
Japan's demand for high-end processed foods, combined with its extensive supermarket and convenience store chains, fits well with South Korean products, which offer diverse variations including small-quantity items that cater to customers' fast-changing tastes, making Japan an ideal market for localization and joint development.
Companies are gaining ground in the market. Instant noodle maker Samyang Foods has expanded its customers in Japan through its local subsidiary, having sold over 100 million units of its signature spicy "Buldak" noodle series from January 2020 to June 2025.
Another South Korean noodle giant Nongshim has opened a pop-up store in Tokyo's popular Harajuku district and collaborated with Japanese restaurant chain Yakiniku King to offer its "Shin Ramyun" series. Its latest "Shin Ramyun Toowoomba" cup noodles sold one million units in just two weeks after release across all 7-Eleven stores there.
Meanwhile, CJ CheilJedang has invested around $100 million in a factory in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, to produce its 'Bibigo' products locally, with dumpling sales rising about 28 percent in the first half of this year. This marks the first instance of a South Korean food company opening a factory in Japan, signaling a major step in local production. The retailer has also set up pop-up stands in around 200 Don Quijote stores, with plans to expand to more than 600 by the end of this year.
Japanese convenience stores are adding South Korean products to their shelves, with Lawson offering lunch boxes made with Bibigo hot pepper paste and 7-Eleven hosting events featuring low-sodium, small-packaged South Korean foods.
Government-level efforts to promote South Korean food overseas continue, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs hosting the 2025 APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting in Incheon in August to discuss explore export opportunities with Japan and China.
In May, South Korea held promotional events at the Osaka Expo to showcase Korean food to participants, including consumers and retailers.
Industry experts believe that partnerships with local Japanese companies will accelerate market entry and help tackle highly regulated markets such as North America and Europe in the future. "Japan is a strategically important market that will help us expand into other regions," one exporter said.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
