The Imperial Family and Norwegian Seafood
During the final days in Tokyo, Norwegian seafood has featured prominently on the menu. His Royal Highness The Crown Prince also met several members of the Japanese Imperial Family.
8 June 2026
Crown Prince Haakon was received by His Majesty Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Residence, Gosho, in Tokyo. He also met Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko at the Akishino Residence in the Akasaka Imperial Estate.
The Emperor and Empress hosted a dinner at the Imperial Palace in honour of The Crown Prince’s visit. Princess Aiko also attended the dinner. During his stay, The Crown Prince also met Princess Takamado and Princess Tsuguko at various events in Tokyo.
Visit to Toyosu Market
Seafood has been a central theme throughout the visit to Japan. The country is one of the world's most important seafood markets and a close partner of Norway in the fisheries and ocean industries sectors.
In Tokyo, The Crown Prince visited Toyosu Fish Market, Japan’s principal seafood trading hub. The market is renowned for its large trading volumes and serves as a key centre for the distribution of seafood to restaurants, supermarket chains and consumers across Japan.
The visit provided insight into how seafood is traded and distributed within the Japanese market, as well as the cooperation between Norwegian and Japanese stakeholders throughout the value chain. It also gave The Crown Prince an opportunity to meet some of the businesses that bring Norwegian seafood to Japanese consumers.
Long-term cooperation on seafood
Norway and Japan have cooperated in the seafood trade for several decades. Japan is Norway’s largest market for mackerel and an important market for Norwegian salmon. Efforts to introduce fresh Norwegian salmon to the Japanese market began in the 1980s. Through long-term cooperation between Norwegian and Japanese partners, Norwegian salmon gradually became a natural ingredient in sushi and sashimi.
Today, Norwegian seafood is exported to Japan in substantial volumes, while Japanese food culture has helped make products such as salmon and sushi popular far beyond the country’s borders.
Defence cooperation, space and technology have also been important themes during the visit to Japan.
Ocean Governance on the International Agenda
During the visit, The Crown Prince also took part in the conference Island States Ocean Summit: Sustainable Ocean Action for Resilient Islands, which brought together heads of state and government, ministers and international organisations in Tokyo.
The conference is organised by Japan, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and the The Nippon Foundation, and aims to strengthen knowledge-based and sustainable management of the world's oceans. Central topics on the agenda included the development of sustainable ocean plans and how international cooperation can help address climate and biodiversity challenges.
In connection with the conference, The Crown Prince met both His Majesty Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The summit brought together leaders and decision-makers from a number of island states and international organisations to discuss sustainable ocean governance and cooperation for the future of the oceans.
