Open Access Asian-Australas J Anim Sci Vol. 31, No. 7:933-950 July 2018 https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.18.0333 pISSN 1011-2367 eISSN 1976-5517 The Japanese Wagyu beef industry: current situation and future prospects — A review Takafumi Gotoh1,2,*, Takanori Nishimura3, Keigo Kuchida4, and Hideyuki Mannen5 * Corresponding Author: Takafumi Gotoh Abstract: In Japan, Wagyu cattle include four Japanese breeds; Black, Brown, Shorthorn, and Tel: +81-99-285-8699, Fax: +81-99-285-8699, E-mail:
[email protected] Polled. Today, the renowned brand name Wagyu includes not only cattle produced in Japan, but also cattle produced in countries such as Australia and the United States. In recent years, 1 Department of Agricultural Sciences and Natural the intramuscular fat percentage in beef (longissimus muscle) from Japanese Black cattle has Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, 890-0065, Japan increased to be greater than 30%. The Japanese Black breed is genetically predisposed to pro 2 Kuju Agricultural Research Center, Faculty of ducing carcass lipids containing higher concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids than Agriculture, Kyushu University, Takeda 878-0201, other breeds. However, there are numerous problems with the management of this breed Japan 3 Muscle Biology and Meat Science laboratory, including high production costs, disposal of untreated excrement, the requirement for im Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, ported feed, and food security risks resulting from various viral diseases introduced by im Sapporo 060-8589, Japan ported feed. The feeding system needs to shift to one that is more efficient, and improves 4 Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan management for farmers, food security for consumers, and the health environment for resi 5 Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Genetics, dents of Japan.