
TOKYO -- With more Japanese beef being sold abroad than ever before, meat distributors are hoping foreigners will hanker for the premium cuts that penny-pinching domestic consumers pass by.
Beef exports hit all-time highs this year both in quantity and value. Through October, volume grew 40% on the year to 959 tons, beating a 12-month record of 909 tons set last year. All that meat was worth 6.2 billion yen ($51 million), an increase of 40%.