British assured game meat could land on Japanese shelves following a 'successful' trade mission earlier this month.
Organised by the UK's Department for International Trade, the British Game Alliance (BGA) secured 13 trade meetings in the country.
A variety of clients were involved, in both Tokyo and Osaka, including retailers, food distributors, hotel chains and large specialist meat importers.
Game meat already has a presence in the Japanese market with exports from France.
The idea of having full traceability of the product is a huge positive factor for retailers in the country.
According to the BGA, positive feedback was given from retailers who expressed a keen interest in buying assured British game.
Following the trip, the group is looking for a potential import partner that will have exclusive use of the BGA assured logo, assuming they underwrite a certain volume of assured game each year.
Matt Tough, Commercial Director of BGA, said: “Following our meetings in Tokyo and Osaka, the positive response and clear appetite for British assured game meat is fantastic.
“The restaurant scene is booming in Japan and so we believe game is a great natural fit. We are progressing talks with a few key import partners and look forward to the months ahead.”
This trip follows a targeted outreach overseas in order to secure new deals in export markets for British game.
The game sector has already had success with an inbound trade mission from Hong Kong following a visit earlier this year.
According to latest statistics, there are about 400 game farms in Britain and up to 2500 smaller premises with gamekeepers rearing birds for their own estates.
