The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) has issued a forecast for all Japanese citrus varieties for 2025–26.
ORANGES
Fresh orange production in Japan remains small and continues a gradual long-term decline as growers reduce investment in minor citrus varieties and prioritize more profitable crops such as mandarins.
Orange production is estimated to decrease 4.7% from 4,090 metric tons (MT) in 2024–25 to 3,900 MT in 2025–26.
The orange harvested area is estimated to decrease from 332 hectares to 317 hectares.
Imports are anticipated to decline to 75,000 MT, a decrease of 12.8% from the prior year. Japan does not export fresh oranges.
ORANGE JUICE
Japan does not produce frozen concentrated orange juice. The country relies entirely on imports to meet demand for orange juice that is used in the beverage and food-processing industries. For 2025–26, orange juice imports are forecast to recover to 58,000 MT, from 47,635 MT the prior year.
TANGERINES AND MANDARINS
In 2025–26, tangerine/mandarin production is estimated to rebound to 816,000 MT, from 744,000 MT the prior year.
Harvested area is estimated to fall to 45,700 hectares, from 46,900 hectares the year before.
Imports are projected to decline about 17% from the prior year to 20,000 MT. Japan exported 1,548 MT of mandarins in 2024–25 and will not expand exports significantly in 2025–26.
GRAPEFRUIT
Japan produces minimal quantities of grapefruit, and domestic supply consists almost entirely of Japanese pomelo.
The harvested area and production are projected to decrease about 1% each from the prior year to 1,140 hectares and 26,000 MT, respectively.
Imports are estimated to decrease to 32,000 MT, a decline of 2.6% from the prior year. Japan exports negligible quantities of grapefruit or pomelo.
LEMONS AND LIMES
Production of lemons and limes is expected to remain at the prior year level of 49,000 MT.
The total harvested area reached 4,700 hectares in 2024–25 and is projected to increase to 4,750 hectares in 2025–26.
For 2025–26, lemon and lime imports are projected at 43,000 MT, a slight decrease from the prior year. Japan does not export significant volumes of lemons or limes.
See the full USDA FAS report on Japanese citrus here.
Source: USDA FAS
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