Japan's railway operator moves into aquaculture

The Japanese railway company Shikoku Railway Company, better known as JR Shikoku, has confirmed its plans to build a new land-based salmon farm in Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture, according to national media outlets such as Kyodo News and KSB Setonaikai Broadcasting.

The plan is to install thirteen tanks by March and begin production with the help of local fisheries companies. By January next year, they expect to produce between 12 and 13 tons, aiming to achieve 100 million yen in sales by 2030.

JR Shikoku already operates a salmon farm in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, which began operations in August 2024. Additionally, the company started selling the salmon at the group’s hotels in January.

"Rather than broadening it out, we want to focus on expanding this salmon in depth within Shikoku," said JR Shikoku President Kazuyuki Shinomiya according to KSB reports.

Salmon farming in Japan

Just a couple of weeks ago, the investment manager 8F Asset Management announced the successful closing of funds to complete the construction of Soul of Japan and Pure Salmon Technology's land-based aquaculture facility in Japan.

In this case, the facility will have an annual production target of 10,000 tons of Atlantic salmon and is located on a 13.7-hectare site in Tsu City, the capital of Mie Prefecture.

Additionally, Proximar Seafood AS presented in October 2024 its first-ever domestic harvest of Atlantic salmon in Japan. With the help of Skretting Japan, Proximar built in 2022 a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, for raised salmon.