Confectionery production volume in Japan 2014-2023

In 2023, around two million tons of confectioneries were produced in Japan. The most important type of sweets produced in the country are traditional Japanese confectioneries (wagashi), snack foods, biscuits and chocolate, with the products leading the domestic confectionery production.

Confectioneries in Japan

Confectioneries in Japan encompass a broad range of sweet and savory snacks. Sweet confectioneries cover staple products like wagashi, candies and chocolate in all kinds of flavors. On the other hand, savory snacks include snack foods made from potato, corn, or rice, as well as wheat flour-based crackers (senbei).
While wagashi stands at the top of the production side, chocolate generates the highest sales on the confectionery retail market in Japan.

Operating in a competitive landscape

The Japanese confectionery industry offers many domestic and global enterprises a competitive landscape. While leading manufacturers like Meiji Holdings, Ezaki Glico, and Morinaga & Company were established as confectionery companies, other major competitors like Asahi expanded their business portfolios to include the production of sweet treats.
Successful global confectionery companies operating in Japan are represented by Mondelez International, Mars Inc., and Nestlé, who is well-known as the manufacturer behind the large flavor varieties of Kit Kats.