The value of Japan's agricultural, fisheries and forestry product exports rose 3.7 percent in 2024 from a year earlier to 1.5 trillion yen, setting a new record, driven by growing demand for the country's cuisine overseas, the government said Tuesday.

The 2024 figure marked a new record for the 12th consecutive year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and came as Japan aims to boost farm and seafood exports to 2 trillion yen by 2025, a goal established with the nation's dwindling population in mind.

After the outcome was released, farm minister Taku Eto said at a press conference that the target is a "high hurdle but by no means impossible to achieve, if we continue to develop production" in line with the needs of each country's market.

In 2024, however, exports to China plunged 29.1 percent to 168.1 billion yen for a second straight year of decline, hit by its import ban on Japanese seafood in the wake of the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Fishery product shipments to China plummeted 89.9 percent to 6.1 billion yen as a ban on scallops and sea cucumbers, previously accounting for a large portion of seafood exports, weighed on trade. Japanese whisky sales also decreased in the aftermath of an economic downturn in the country.

Last year, the United States was Japan's top export destination, followed by Hong Kong and Taiwan. Shipments to the world's biggest economy jumped 17.8 percent from the previous year to 242.9 billion yen, making up nearly 20 percent of total exports.

While Japanese beef and sake gained popularity in the United States, scallop exports to the nation climbed on the back of a shift in seafood shipments from China.

Rice exports showed the sharpest pace of growth among all products, surging 27.8 percent to 12 billion yen, due in part to higher consumption at Japanese restaurants in the United States and Hong Kong.

Green tea exports from Japan to other countries soared 24.6 percent to 36.3 billion yen, with matcha becoming popular abroad, particularly in Europe.