The desire for cheese in the Land of the Rising Sun

摘要

In Japan, sales of cheese increased from 103 000 tonnes in 1983 to 204 000 tonnes in 1997. The most important exporting countries of the 180 000 tonnes of cheese imported into Japan in 1998 were Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and France, and sales of cheese from Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Norway accounted for 32.5, 24.8, 8.9, 7.6, 5.1, 4.1 and 3.9% respectively of the monetary value of the total amount of cheese sold. Although most Japanese prefer mild cheeses, there is an increasing demand for stronger cheeses like Stilton, Gorgonzola and Parmesan.