Japanese Tea Exports Are Climbing: The Figures
The international spread of matcha is visible in trade statistics.
2025
Based on Ministry of Finance trade data compiled by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
| 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Export value | about ¥72.1 billion | roughly doubled (+98.2%) |
| Export volume | 12,612 tonnes | about 1.4× |
A sixth consecutive record year.
Value grew faster than volume
The detail worth noting: value nearly doubled while volume rose about 40 percent.
The same weight is selling for more. This is not a story about shipping larger quantities of inexpensive product — unit prices have risen.
What is driving it
MAFF's analysis attributes the growth largely to expanding demand for powdered tea, including matcha, as a food ingredient, particularly in Europe, North America, and ASEAN markets.
Lattes and confectionery, rather than drinking alone. Volumes going into desserts and ice cream have grown substantially.
Destinations
The United States leads by volume, accounting for roughly 30 percent of the total.
For US-bound shipments, unit price per unit weight runs approximately five times that of Chinese green tea — an indicator of established position in the premium segment.
"Uji" and "Kyoto" as marks
Among the factors cited for rising unit prices is the penetration of the Uji/Kyoto origin brand.
A place name functioning as a quality indicator, in the way wine appellations do.
What sits behind it
Uji has produced tea since Myoe Shonin identified the land as suitable. Shaded cultivation and the cultivars adapted to it both developed there.
The matcha being valued abroad reflects that accumulated practice. Stone-milling produces roughly 40 g per hour, which puts a ceiling on volume.
Scarcity and quality arriving together is what the figures record.
Figures reflect statistics as of 2025.
