Why is turkey imported in Japan?

The turkey is native to North America but the farming and crossbreeding of turkeys was started in England and France using birds initially imported from the Americas (before 1776). The modern agricultural turkey was bred in France. read more

It’s possible that the Japanese government has banned the import of live turkeys for some reason but it’s more likely that there simply isn’t a large enough market in Japan to support large scale turkey farming. read more

Amazon Japan – they have a few different sizes of turkeys in stock now; Yoyo Market – thanks Ashley! Rakuten – they have a similar selection to the above two; Foreign Buyers Club; Note: if you have an average sized microwave/oven you will probably want to go for a 1-2kg bird but be sure to measure the inside of your oven to check. read more

Reasons for import-export statistical discrepancies include re-exports, time lags, misallocations, distinct trade reporting systems, different quantity measurements and country confidentiality rules. Also, transportation and insurance costs are sometimes added to import totals. read more