TOKYO -- Japanese seaweed harvests are near-record lows as demand rises due to the increased global popularity of Japanese food, causing prices to soar and putting a pinch on households and restaurants.
The Sanriku coastal region in the northeast accounts for more than 70% of Japan's production of wakame, a common edible seaweed. Production this year is at the lowest level since recordkeeping began in 1977, with the exception of 2011, when the region was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami.
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