January 20, 2026
JAKARTA – The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) has stated that Indonesia’s processed tuna and skipjack exports to Japan are set to receive an import tariff reduction to zero percent from the current 9.6 percent. The policy is part of amendments to the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA), which Jakarta expects to significantly boost competitiveness in one of the world’s largest seafood markets.
First signed by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in 2007, IJEPA was agreed to be revised in 2024 to strengthen the bilateral economic partnership between the two countries.
The maritime affairs ministry is currently preparing a circular letter to ratify the agreement, as well as to set out registration procedures to obtain the zero-percent tariff.
Fish processing units seeking to benefit from IJEPA’s preferential tariffs must submit licensing and certification documents to the ministry, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), standard operating procedures and traceability records, which will then be verified and inspected. Units approved after the processing window, which is open until Jan. 26, will be sent to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries through a diplomatic note.
The maritime ministry’s acting director general of marine and fishery products competitiveness Machmud said that Indonesian canned tuna and other processed tuna products currently rank third among top exports in the Japanese market, with export values reaching US$30.28 million. Indonesia has also posted stronger export growth than its regional competitors, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.82 percent, higher than Thailand’s 12.12 percent and the Philippines’ 6.31 percent.
“With a zero-percent tariff, our tuna and skipjack exports will become more competitive, and we are optimistic that Indonesia can become number one in Japan,” Machmud said in a statement on Friday.
Maritime affairs minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said he was optimistic that Indonesia’s tuna and skipjack production could boost exports to Japan, Singapore and other markets. He stressed the importance of adequate cold storage facilities to maintain quality, enhance competitiveness and expand tuna exports to a wider range of destinations.
Last month, the maritime affairs ministry reported that Indonesia remained a net fisheries exporter, posting a $4.53 billion trade surplus in the first ten months of 2025, up 2.9 percent from the same period in the previous year. Exports totaled $5.07 billion, while imports stood at $540 million.
Exports grew across major markets, led by ASEAN, which rose 22.7 percent to $811.64 million, followed by the United States, up 2.6 percent to $1.604 billion; Japan, which increased 2.3 percent to $506.28 million; and the European Union, up 8.3 percent to $379.54 million.
By commodity, shrimp exports climbed 8.6 percent, tuna and skipjack rose 2.6 percent, while squid, cuttlefish and octopus increased 1.9 percent. The ministry attributed the gains to initiatives such as the ASEAN Tuna Working Group, efforts to meet US export requirements, as well as workshops and internal HACCP audit training.
Investment in the marine and fisheries sector also reached Rp 7.8 trillion ($460 million) in the third quarter of 2025, dominated by processing facility at 32.26 percent, followed by aquaculture (27.48 percent), marketing (21.72 percent), capture fisheries (15.35 percent) and fisheries services (3.19 percent).