Singapore-based seafood biotechnology startup Umami Bioworks is preparing to open Japan’s first production facility for lab-grown seafood by 2027, investing roughly 1.5 billion yen ($9.9 million) in the project, Nikkei reported. The facility, set to be built in central Tokyo, will produce between 10 and 50 kilograms of cultivated seafood per month and marks a significant step in Japan’s slow but growing embrace of alternative protein technologies.
The company plans to fund the Tokyo site through a joint investment with a Japanese partner, whose identity has not yet been disclosed. Depending on market demand, Umami Bioworks intends to construct a larger-scale facility as early as 2028 in an outlying region of Japan, with a target output of 1,000 to 2,000 kilograms per month.
In parallel, the startup will launch another Japanese facility focused on artificial intelligence–driven optimization of the cell culture process used to grow seafood proteins. That research center could begin operations as soon as next year, according to Umami Bioworks’ Japan country manager, Nina Honda. “We have more partners in Japan than in other countries,” Honda told Nikkei. “We’ll deepen our understanding of Japanese consumers and optimize the taste and texture for the market.”
Founded in 2020, Umami Bioworks has made global headlines for developing cell-cultivated seafood derived from harvested fish cells, including eel, caviar, and white fish. Rather than directly producing consumer products, the company operates a business-to-business platform, providing cell-based seafood cultivation technologies to food manufacturers and co-developing products with corporate partners.
In Japan, Umami Bioworks is collaborating with Maruha Nichiro, one of the country’s largest seafood companies. The two are set to hold a sensory analysis event in Tokyo on Thursday, attended by about two dozen participants from Japanese companies and universities — many of whom are either working with Umami Bioworks or exploring future collaborations.
Unlike traditional aquaculture, Umami Bioworks’ platform is species-agnostic, meaning it can reproduce a wide variety of fish by adjusting lipid, protein, and nutrient balances to accelerate growth and refine flavor. “We can mass-cultivate any fish species within 18 to 24 months after harvesting cells,” Honda said, adding that the company has achieved an 83% faster development time and 97% cost reduction for tuna compared with its initial work on eel.
The startup currently operates production sites in Singapore and India, each capable of producing up to 50 kilograms per month. However, Honda acknowledged that large-scale cultivation remains a global challenge. “Mass cultivation poses a high level of difficulty,” she said. “There are very few companies capable of doing it — only a handful in the world.”
Japan still lacks a regulatory framework for selling cell-based food, though other nations such as Singapore, the U.S., and Israel have already approved certain products for commercial sale. According to Nikkei, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency began formal discussions on regulating the sale of cultivated food in late 2023, with official rules expected around 2026.
“Coordination with the Food Safety Commission will be a complex process,” said Hideki Katagiri, a lawyer specializing in agri-food technology at Nishimura & Asahi. “But there’s hope that Japan will establish a reasonable regulatory environment.”
Japan’s growing interest in cultivated seafood has also attracted foreign startups. Israeli firm Forsea Foods plans to set up a cell-based eel facility in Kyoto, initially exporting products as a Japanese brand before entering the domestic market once regulations are in place.
As Japan explores the future of sustainable seafood, Umami Bioworks’ entry represents a milestone — not just in biotechnology, but in how the country may redefine its centuries-old relationship with the ocean’s bounty.
