Company information
Information of Japan Tuna Group
Japan Tuna Fisheries Co-operative Association
Our distant water tuna fishing vessels have been operating throughout the seas all over the world, seeking natural tunas.
The natural tunas caught are to be frozen on board the vessel immediately in ultra-low temperature, and so are unloaded in Japan maintaining their high freshness.
In order to secure safety and clean up uneasiness of Sashimi and Sushi, which are essential to the Japanese cusine as it has been traditional culture and one of the world heritages, our Association has been working to strengthen global tuna price / quality competitiveness, sustainable use and stock recovery of tuna species, togather with improvement of crew’s well-being, also to pass on the methods of distant water tuna fishing such as longline and pole-and-line which are most environment-friendly ones to the next generation.
Our Association is working on a national scale, and organized by distant water tuna fishers of the whole country, from Aomori in the north to Kagoshima in the south.
Abbreviation
Japan Tuna Cooperative
Location
2-31-1 Eitai, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0034, Japan
Ichigo Eitai Building 4th floor.
Established
February 2006 (Japan Tuna reorganized)
Capital
195 million yen (as of the end of March 2017)
No. of employees
16 (as of the end of March 2017)
TEL
+81-3-5646-2381
FAX
+81-3-5646-2652
Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation
So that deep sea tuna and skipjack fishing vessels can fish efficiently and securely in seas throughout the world, a sales and supply business is arranged mainly for fishing vessels affiliated with Japan Tuna Fisheries Co-operative Association.
A supply system mainly provides fuel oil togather with other supply services off course in Japan, but also in ports and high seas all over the world. Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation to expand the system selling tunas and related products caught by Japan Tuna member vessels. We are running management operations using ultra-low temperature cold stores, and dealing products in direct selling to consumers’ co-operatives.
Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation is a fully owned subsidiary of Japan Tuna Fisheries Co-operative Association organized by deep sea tuna and skipjack fishers.
Abbreviation
Japan Tuna Corporation
Location
2-31-1 Eitai, Koto-ku, Tokyo,135-0034, Japan
Ichigo Eitai Building 3-4th floor.
Established
February 2006
Capital
80 million yen. (as of the end of March 2017)
No. of employees
59 (as of the end of March 2017)
TEL
+81-3-5646-2380
FAX
+81-3-5646-2651
Our Activities
Japan Tuna Fisheries Co-operative Association has operations of guidance services, and Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation has operations of supplying and marketing businesses, respectively. These services and businesses are core tasks that was taken over from the Federation of Japan Tuna Fisheries Co-operative Associations since its founding. The two of the Association and the Corporation are going forward and conducting their work like two wheels of a cart.
Japan Tuna Fisheries Co-operative Association
- Assuring safe operations and preserving tuna resources -
- Guidance services
In order to carry on businesses of distant water tuna fisheries, fishing vessels, crew, and fishing licenses (fishing rights) issued by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are needed.
Then, in operating a fishing vessel, there are many laws and regulations to comply with such as those from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism relating to safety of maritime traffic, prevention of environmental pollution, manning by ship’s officers (ship officer’s certificate holder), and the rights of seamen. Since distant water tuna fishing vessels operating on the international fishing grounds must also keep international regulations, if they become much more stringent, a corresponding action is required accordingly.
Our Association works together with related organizations for collecting information concerned, and make them known fishers, and ask for legal compliance. Our Association also lobbies other related agencies and so on to bring about effective regulations which are in line with the actual fishing activities.
We are a body of fishers using the resources of natural tunas. In order to use this limited natural resource stably into the future, reasonable management is needed. Our Association, along with officials of the Fisheries Agency and scientists, cooperates with various Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and complies with the management measures of country-by-country catch quota.
Also, by providing scientists with catch data, we contribute to the understanding of ecosystem.
Our Association, together with the Fisheries Agency, RFMOs and their related countries, is making best efforts for appropriate utilization of tuna resources.
In order for our Association’s fishing vessels to secure their safe and sustainable fishing operations not only on the high seas but also within the 200 nautical mile zones of foreign countries concerned, we have been negotiating bilaterally with the countries and carrying out various assistance periodically to them such as providing goods and services or grant aid for the promotion of their fisheries under the support from the Fisheries Agency or the Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation of Japan.
Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation
- Support in operating fishing vessels and selling catches -
- Purchasing Business: Support for All the Business Related to Operating Fishing Vessels
Long line deep sea tuna fishing boats take tuna in the oceans of the world every day, and deep sea Skipjack tuna fishing boats take Skipjack tuna mainly in the Pacific Ocean. In the purchasing business, we have established a full support system so that the affiliated operating ships don’t get into difficulties, no matter where they operate. The system not only has a national supply system but also, by contracting with ship agency suppliers in 102 cities in 59 countries, supplies fuel oil and food products in harbors throughout the world.
In addition, in Cape Town harbor, South Africa, and in the Spanish Canary Islands (Las Palmas harbor), a service is provided with dock bases in place where skilled technicians are able to do repairs to the ships without problems.
Further, as a contribution to reducing economic costs for the fishers, supplying is carried out through tie ups with offshore supply ship companies, and freezer transport ship companies to supply necessary goods and newly-developed high quality reasonable foreign baits, and every support, such as the assistance of foreign shippers, is being given for all business needs in the operation of the fishing vessels.
- Sales division: Sale of the Catch and Supporting a Good Price for the Fish
The tuna, caught in the oceans of the world, are carried in the mother ship or a transport ship to Japan, the largest sashimi (raw fish) market in the world. In general, the sales methods are having a large trading company buy a whole shipload together, to bring in a large quantity all at once (buying up a ship), or else using a production area market (Misaki market, Yaizu market, etc.) where there is bidding (or deal making).
The price of tuna depends on changes in the state of the offshore fishery and on buying a whole shipload from overseas ships, and with price changes a demanding situation occurs that never allows for a loss of concentration. Given this situation, Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation gathers a group of tuna professionals in its sales division and when buying up a ship it stands between the producer (fisher) and a large trading company and carries out the price negotiations and unloads the catch. In the case of putting in selling bids at the production area market, Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation has a wholly owned subsidiary, Misaki Tuna Co., Japan, in Misaki, Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, which is a market and consignee, and has begun to have the capacity to sell the producers’ catch at a reasonable price.
Also, the Skipjack tuna catch is mainly landed at the Yaizu market and is sold to the Skipjack tuna sashimi (raw fish) or tataki (seared) processing trades. Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation is beginning to cooperate with the processing trades to provide safe, reliable Skipjack tuna from freezer ships.
In addition, compared with the present complicated distribution system for Skipjack tuna and tuna, Japan Tuna Fisheries Corporation aims to deliver natural caught Skipjack tuna and tuna from the fishing grounds to the table with speedy, ultra-low temperature freezing on the ship. The company will supply all consumers safe/reliable Skipjack tuna and tuna and work to give them healthy daily life.
