Affordable pricing, stable supply, and culinary versatility are helping Vietnamese pangasius feature more prominently across restaurants, supermarkets, and family dinner tables in Japan.

Growing popularity from restaurants to family meals...

Japan News reports that as demand for catfish consumption climbs, pangasius is becoming a familiar choice, appearing with increasing frequency on restaurant chain menus as well as on consumer dinner tables across Japan.

Widely consumed across numerous countries—particularly in Southeast Asia—pangasius represents an affordable food source with stable supply availability. Its mild, approachable flavor makes the fish suitable for a broad variety of dishes, while its rapid growth rate facilitates reliable supply continuity.

Pangasius import volumes into Japan are rising against a backdrop of traditional marine species, such as salmon and eel, appearing less frequently on tables due to dwindling wild catches and elevated prices.

At the Kura Sushi Global Flagship Store Namba Parks South—a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant in Naniwa Ward, Osaka—a 74-year-old man from Chuo Ward sampled pangasius sushi prepared using the ikejime technique (a humane fish-handling method that preserves peak freshness). He commented: “The fish has no muddy odor and is very easy to eat. It is the perfect choice when I want to eat whitefish.”

Pangasius is primarily farmed in Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam. Belonging to the catfish family, individual specimens can exceed one meter in length.

Visually, pangasius fillets closely resemble common whitefish, but their distinguishing appeal lies in their tender texture and characteristic flakiness.

In Japan, pangasius was previously used primarily in deep-fried whitefish dishes. However, it quickly gained recognition as an alternative to increasingly expensive eel, thereby driving the continuous expansion of its market and distribution footprints.

Kura Sushi Inc., operator of the revolving sushi chain Kura Sushi, added pangasius as a regular menu item in November 2024. According to the company, priced from 115 yen, affordability stands out as a critical factor behind the fish's popularity, particularly among family diners.

... to supermarkets and large-scale retail chains

Pangasius is also gaining widespread traction across supermarkets and large-scale retail systems throughout Japan. Pangasius fillets are currently retailed across all Costco warehouse club outlets. AEON Group has likewise carried the item since 2014.

Thanks to its delicate profile, pangasius can be adapted into diverse recipes and cooking styles, such as meunière (French pan-fried fish), tatsuta-age (Japanese-style battered fried fish), acqua pazza (Mediterranean-style poached fish), or nitsuke (Japanese simmered fish with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar).

“This fish is exceptionally easy to integrate into menus, and it still holds substantial growth headroom,” observed an insider from the food service industry.

Recently, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) noted reporting from The Minato Shimbun that on September 11, seafood conglomerate Kyokuyo organized an exhibition and business-matching fair in Osaka in coordination with four regional branches: Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka. Approximately 500 seafood and processed food items were presented to around 760 commercial clients and trade partners.

Among featured products, Kyokuyo paid particular attention to pangasius and herring as seafood sources offering relatively affordable pricing and dependable availability. This has become an increasingly critical factor for the Japanese market as prices for many traditional species climb and wild capture volumes grow harder to forecast.

Earlier, at the Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo held in Tokyo from August 19 to 21, 2026, Kyokuyo also identified pangasius as a core focus product. The company arranged tasting sessions and cooking demonstrations to target commercial buyers.

Notably, Kyokuyo already features Vietnamese pangasius products in its professional food distribution network across Japan. Among the items offered are skinless, boneless frozen pangasius fillets processed in Vietnam, suitable for diverse Japanese, Western, and Chinese culinary applications.

According to trade statistics from Japan's Ministry of Finance, in 2012—when frozen catfish fillets, including pangasius species, were first recorded as a discrete statistical category—imports stood at just 646 metric tons. By 2024, that volume had surged to 10,668 tons.

Stable supply creates a competitive edge

The strong surge in imports and distribution is largely underpinned by the promising outlook for consistent supply. Catch shortfalls among staple marine species have occurred frequently due to warming sea temperatures and rampant overfishing.

According to the Fisheries White Paper for Fiscal Year 2024, combined catch volumes for Pacific saury (sanma), Japanese flying squid, and salmon in 2023 plunged drastically, falling to approximately 20% of levels recorded nine years earlier.

Pangasius exhibits a rapid growth cycle, developing from fry just a few centimeters long to commercial harvest size within a matter of months.

"This species can be farmed at high densities, and its outstanding feed conversion ratio—reflected in the final yield per unit of feed—helps control production costs. This transforms it into a valuable food source," remarked Professor Ikuo Hirono of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

From an ingredient used predominantly in generic fried whitefish dishes, pangasius is progressively carving out a wider presence on Japanese dining tables. Amid increasingly unpredictable wild seafood supplies and escalating prices for traditional products, cost advantages, consistent procurement availability, and culinary adaptability could continue widening market opportunities for Vietnamese pangasius in Japan.

According to Vietnam Customs data, in the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Japan reached USD 36.31 million, up 20.8% compared to the same period in 2025. In August alone, export turnover touched USD 5.47 million, an increase of 23.7%.

While this scale remains modest compared to Vietnam's largest pangasius destinations, growth topping 20% demonstrates that Japanese demand is improving noticeably. Broadened engagement from major importers and distributors, coupled with expanding presence from sushi chains to retail supermarkets, is unlocking further commercial runway for Vietnamese producers in this market.

Source: Bao Nong nghiep va Moi truong