JP Japan Sekai Ichi apple CREDIT Sakurai Midori

The increasing popularity of Japanese cuisine and its unique fruit in overseas markets has driven a record high of exports for the third year running.

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries has released a preliminary report stating that Japan’s food exports rose 21.8 pert cent to ¥745.2b in 2015 compared to the year prior, driven by demand in Asia, the US and Europe.

Exports of apples were valued at a record ¥10b, according to the Japan Times, with exports of beef, rice, green tea and Japanese whiskies also increasing sharply.

Markets in Asia accounted for three-quarters of Japan’s total food exports, with increasing demand also seen in the US and Europe.

The Japanese government has set a target of ¥1 trillion in food exports by 2020.