Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, Kinki University, Nakamachi, Nara 631-8505, Japan
Household consumption of marine products in Japan is decreasing, but the reasons are not clear. Although the change might be related to the changing preference from Japanese food to European food, there is no quantitative evidence. This study examined the changes in market situation in Japan, and conducted a demand system analysis of Japanese household consumption of animal protein. The results showed that the decreasing consumption of marine products is caused by declining household income, and that the shift in consumption from marine products to pork and chicken is because those proteins are cheaper than marine products or beef.