Hatch Blue and UMITO Partners partner to launch a first-of-its-kind aquaculture innovation studio in Japan

Hatch Blue and UMITO Partners, Japan's leading global marine sustainability consultancy, have formed a strategic partnership to develop and deliver aquaculture innovation programs in Japan. Formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, the partnership's first initiative will be the Japan Aquatech Innovation Studio, a structured program connecting Japanese industry, capital and government with high-potential technologies and companies from Japan and around the world.

Japan's seafood economy is among the largest and most dynamic in the world. Seafood is central to the country’s food culture, economy and export ambitions, which makes the sector's competitiveness a national priority. The government has set out significant growth, self-sufficiency and export targets for the sector, and meeting them against rising feed costs, labour shortages, increasing environmental pressures and an ageing, slowing domestic market will depend heavily on innovation.

The Japan Aquatech Innovation Studio's ambition reaches beyond supporting production. Japan is already home to a growing wave of deeptech and biotech companies with roots in aquaculture whose applications extend well past the farm gate, into food, health, nutrition, advanced materials and biomanufacturing. The Studio is designed to identify and scale these high-potential technologies, giving Japanese corporates, investors and government partners early, structured access to the companies building them.

Under the partnership, Hatch Blue will lead and co-design the program, drawing on its global network of founders, mentors and investors. UMITO Partners acts as a strategic local partner to co-design the program and lead on-the-ground delivery, contributing market knowledge and marine sustainability expertise, and connecting domestic and global aquaculture innovations with Japan's seafood industries and government bodies. For the founders selected, the studio offers direct access to Hatch Blue's network and hands-on guidance from a team that has backed aquaculture companies worldwide.

Shunji Murakami, Founder and CEO of UMITO Partners, said: "Japan has world-class producers and a rich marine culture, supported by growing policy momentum to make the seafood and aquaculture sector both more competitive and sustainable. By partnering with Hatch Blue, we can combine their global insight and ability to identify high-potential aquaculture startups with UMITO’s deep connections across Japan’s industry and government ecosystem, and our expertise in marine sustainability. Together, we aim to create a program that drives real economic growth while advancing a more sustainable future for the ocean."

Wayne Murphy, Co-Founder and Partner at Hatch Blue, said: "We have spent 8 years building programs that turn early-stage aquaculture innovation into real commercial businesses. Japan is one of the most important seafood markets in the world, and UMITO Partners is the ideal partner on the ground. Together we can give Japanese corporations and investors a front-row seat to the technologies defining the future of the industry, and give innovators a serious route into Japan."

Japanese corporations, government bodies and funders interested in sponsoring or partnering on the program can get in touch here. As a first step, Hatch Blue and UMITO Partners plan to convene a study session for prospective partners in late October 2026, to shape the program focus ahead of its 2027 launch.

Japan's seafood economy in numbers

• Fisheries and aquaculture production value: JPY 1.7 trillion in 2023, up 5% year on year
• Marine aquaculture production value: JPY 595.6 billion in 2023, roughly USD 4 billion, up 10% year on year
• Seafood exports: a record JPY 423.1 billion in 2025
• 2030 seafood export target: JPY 1.1 trillion
• FY2032 self-sufficiency targets: 94% for edible fish and shellfish, 76% for fish and shellfish overall