Japan first domestic land based aquaculture system opens in Iwate

Nichimo Co., Ltd., a marine products and equipment firm, launched a new aquaculture consulting business. The launch follows the completion of the Nichimo-style Module RAS, which is the first land-based trout salmon cultivation facility in Japan to utilise entirely domestic equipment. Located near the Kuji Fishing Port in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, the facility serves as the operational model for this newly established commercial consulting venture.

The decision to develop and deploy an exclusively domestic recirculating aquaculture system comes directly from recent shifts in international affairs and rising geopolitical risks. Furthremore, global warming continues to alter sea temperatures and disrupt marine ecosystems, presenting severe challenges to traditional coastal fisheries.

The company aims to stabilise the aquaculture supply chain and achieve strategic risk diversification, so they design and source all equipment within Japan. This reduces dependency on overseas manufacturing and secures local operations against external economic disruptions.

Nichimo has already verified the commercial viability of this land-based system at an existing facility in Buzen City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The Buzen operation maintains stable, year-round trout salmon production, supplying the market with a high-value, locally branded product known as Mirai Salmon. The new facility in Iwate Prefecture scales this accumulated operational expertise to offer comprehensive consulting for other industry stakeholders.