Tokyo, Aug. 11 -- Vietnamese bananas are becoming increasingly common in Japanese grocery stores as the long-standing dominance of imports from the Philippines begins to decline, Nikkei Asia reported.

Japanese trade statistics show that imports of Vietnamese bananas reached 33,000 tonnes in 2024 - almost 14 times higher than in 2019, raising Vietnam's market share in Japan from just 0.2% to 3.2%. In July alone, exports of Vietnamese bananas to the Tokyo region more than doubled compared to the same period last year.

Although Vietnamese bananas still account for a relatively small share of Japan's total imports, the surge is chipping away at the Philippines' domination of the market. Vietnam is now Japan's third-largest banana supplier, ...