Russian King Crab sells well in Japan

In recent years, the prices of king crab and snow crab have been consistently high in Japan, while the "golden king crab" produced in Russia is becoming increasingly popular among Japanese consumers due to its relatively low price and sweet taste.

The United States was once the importer of Russian king crabs. The import sanctions imposed on Russia due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict led to a large backlog of Russian king crabs, which were shipped to Japan. At a seafood restaurant, the tax inclusive price of around 700 grams of King's crab legs is 3500 yen, which is about half of the price of King's crab legs. A staff member of the store stated that customers were initially confused because they had never heard of this type of crab. However, due to its favorable price and good taste, sales gradually increased through word of mouth.