The reason: The country ships tropical fruits while they are still green, then ripens them in ethylene-filled chambers before the bunches reach store shelves. Gas supplies derived from naphtha are declining in an economy that imports more than 90 percent of its crude oil needs.
Japan bought about 1 million tons of bananas last year, making the fruit one of the country’s most important food staples. Naphtha inventories have fallen by a quarter so far this year, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to choke off a fifth of global oil supplies. The resulting shortage is the worst in five decades, according to Eiji Akashi, secretary-general of the Japan Banana Importers Association.
“Prices may rise, but we are doing everything we can to avoid shortages,” Akashi said. “The entire banana industry is committed to doing everything it can to maintain a stable supply.”
For now, bananas are still arriving in stores and some importers have obtained enough ethylene for two to three months, Akashi said. Despite this, there is pressure on retailers to pass on the higher costs associated with petrochemicals such as fuel, packaging and shipping, he added.
The average Japanese household spent about 5,200 yen (US$33) on the yellow fruit in 2025. Retail prices for basic grocery items in Tokyo rose 4.4 percent last year, and have risen more than 30 percent since 2022, according to government data.
Cut bananas need ethylene to ripen, otherwise they will never become soft or sweet, and eventually succumb to rot. Avocados and kiwis are also ripened using ethylene, but require much less gas, according to Farmend, which handles about 30 percent of the processing of imported bananas in Japan.
