U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) leadership joined Luke Lindberg, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, in Japan in early October on an agricultural trade mission to Japan. The mission provided Mike Spier, USW president and CEO, and Jim Pellman, USW chairman and farmer from North Dakota, an additional opportunity to reaffirm the enduring partnership between U.S. wheat farmers and Japan’s government and milling and baking industries.

“Japan has been a consistent customer of U.S. wheat from before USW was even officially formed as an organization,” Spier said. “We appreciate the opportunity to showcase our long-term success in this market with Under Secretary Lindberg. These missions strengthen mutual cooperation and communication between our nations, maintaining our access to this mature, quality-conscious, and steady buyer.”

USDA Trade Mission Reaffirms Agricultural Relationship with Japan

From October 2 to 3, 2025, the agricultural delegation, which included more than a dozen U.S. cooperators, met with Japanese customers and counterparts to discuss policy, sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, advancements in wheat breeding technologies and U.S. trade promotion efforts. Following these discussions, the cooperators joined Lindberg at an AEON supermarket, Japan’s largest retailer, where they highlighted U.S. products, including foods made with U.S. wheat, displayed on the store shelves.

Although Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was unable to participate in the mission due to the government shutdown, Lindberg’s presence demonstrated the U.S. government’s commitment to the vital trade relationship with Japan.

This trade relationship has spanned decades, and Japan has cumulatively purchased more U.S. wheat than any other country. In the 2024/2025 marketing year, Japan imported 2.13 million metric tons (MMT) (nearly 78.3 million bushels) of U.S. wheat, including U.S. hard red winter (HRW), Western White (WW), hard red spring (HRS) and Desert Durum®. These sales are slightly higher than the five-year average and represent an almost 12 percent increase from the prior year. Overall, U.S. wheat ranks second by volume and sixth by value among U.S. exports to Japan.

Under a system unique to Japan, MAFF – as a government agency – is the only entity that can import wheat without paying duties. MAFF then acts as a broker for Japanese flour millers. MAFF also sets the standard for quality testing, chemical residue testing and other purchase specifications. As a result, mutual cooperation between MAFF, USDA and USW is critically important for enabling the continuous production of wheat varieties suitable for the Japanese market and ensuring that those supplies meet MAFF’s stringent purchasing standards.

“For U.S. wheat farmers, this partnership is personal,” Pellman said. “Japan depends on a steady supply of quality wheat, and we take pride in meeting that need.