Nissui
Japanese marine-products group active in fishing, aquaculture, seafood processing, food sales, and marine-derived fine chemicals.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Nissui Corporation is a Japanese marine-products company whose activities extend from harvesting and aquaculture to seafood procurement, processing, frozen foods, prepared foods, fish oils, and marine-derived fine chemicals. The company traces its origin to March 1911, when Ichiro Tamura established a fishery division within Tamura Steamship Company in Shimonoseki. It developed from a domestic fishing enterprise into an international group with subsidiaries, associated companies, procurement operations, and consumer and food-service brands across Japan and overseas. The company operated for decades under the name Nippon Suisan Kaisha. That name was adopted in 1937, while the abbreviated name Nissui had long been used in business and branding. On 1 December 2022, the corporation formally changed its name to Nissui Corporation, aligning its legal identity with its established common name. Its shares have been traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange since 16 May 1949 under ticker 1332, and the company is described as the only fisheries-sector constituent of the Nikkei 225. Nissui's original strength was pelagic fishing and the procurement and distribution of marine products. The extension of exclusive economic zones after the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea placed much of the continental shelf and fishing grounds previously used by distant-water fleets under national jurisdiction. This sharply challenged the economics of the traditional fishing model. During the 1990s, Nissui responded by diversifying into aquaculture, frozen and processed foods, international sourcing, and functional ingredients. Its investments included Chilean salmon and trout aquaculture, fish-derived eicosapentaenoic acid for pharmaceutical applications, and overseas subsidiaries intended to stabilize supply and reach local markets. The group now combines marine resources and food businesses. Its seafood activities include fishing, fish procurement, fish oil, aquaculture, and products such as salmon, Japanese amberjack, shrimp, surimi, and other processed seafood. Its food business includes frozen seafood, prepared frozen foods, canned products, and food-service items. Overseas businesses have included Gorton's of Gloucester and Blue Water in North America, Sealord in New Zealand, Cité Marine in France, and procurement and marketing operations in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. These businesses operate with regional product portfolios rather than functioning solely as exporters of Japanese products. Aquaculture and production technology have become important strategic themes. Nissui has historically relied mainly on ocean-based farming, but it has also pursued land-based systems to improve operational stability, reduce exposure to disease and environmental conditions, and limit impacts on shared marine ecosystems. In April 2023, its first land-based commercial aquaculture project began operating in Ei, Kagoshima, producing whiteleg shrimp. The company has also described plans for a commercial land-based mackerel farm targeted for 2026. Nissui has also sought to broaden the value obtained from marine resources through fine chemicals and functional ingredients, including EPA-related materials. Its stated business philosophy compares marine products with a reliable tap-water supply system, emphasizing stable production and distribution. The group remains a major Japanese seafood company with an international supply network, while its long-term direction is shaped by resource management, aquaculture technology, food processing, and sustainability pressures affecting fisheries.
History
Nissui began in March 1911 as the fishery division of Tamura Steamship Company in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Its founder, Ichiro Tamura, had previously constructed Daiichi-Maru, a 199-gross-ton steel-frame trawler, in 1908. The company developed its early fishing capabilities in cooperation with Kosuke Kunishi and other participants. In 1920 it established the Hayatomo Fishery Research Group, identified as Japan's first private fishery research organization. The company's fishing base moved from Shimonoseki to Tobata, Fukuoka Prefecture, in 1929; the former Tobata headquarters building is now used as an exhibition center. The business expanded into distant-water fisheries and whaling. It conducted its first Antarctic whaling expedition in 1934 and changed its name to Nippon Suisan in 1937. After the Second World War, it undertook a postwar whaling expedition in 1946 with permission from the Allied occupation authorities. The company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1949, following the resumption of Japan's stock market. In 1952, the reopening of North Sea fisheries enabled its mother-ship salmon and trout fleet to resume operations. The head office moved to the Nippon Building in Tokyo in 1966. From the 1970s, Nissui developed a more international and diversified structure. It established Unisea in the United States in 1974 and EMDEPES in Chile in 1978. In 1988 it acquired Salmones Antartica, a Chilean salmon and trout aquaculture business. The company received approval in 1990 for EPA-E NISSUI, a pharmaceutical raw material based on eicosapentaenoic acid. It also participated in the financing of a management buyout of New Zealand meat producer ANZCO Foods in 1995, although that investment was later sold. The introduction of exclusive economic zones following the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea undermined the economics of Nissui's traditional pelagic fishing model. By 1991 the company was unable to allocate profit to dividends for the first time in its history as a listed company. This crisis encouraged a major strategic shift during the 1990s toward aquaculture, processed and frozen foods, fish oils, functional ingredients, and geographically diversified procurement. International expansion accelerated in the 2000s. Nissui acquired half of Sealord in New Zealand in 2001 and obtained North American household seafood brands Gorton's and Blue Water from Unilever. It subsequently acquired or invested in Alaska Ocean Seafood, King & Prince Seafood, Nordic Seafood, F.W. Bryce, Nordsee, Cité Marine, Glacier Fish Company, Delmar, and other businesses. It established procurement and marketing companies in Peru and Spain, as well as research, fine-chemical, and distribution operations in Asia, Europe, and South America. In Japan, Nissui established or supported businesses in areas including coho salmon farming and fine chemicals, moved its head office to Nishi-Shimbashi Square in 2014, and opened the Nissui Pioneer Exhibition Center in 2011. It sold its remaining ANZCO Foods shareholding to Itoham Foods in 2018, acquired 75 percent of Flatfish Ltd in 2019, and invested in Immersion Group in Australia in 2023. The corporation formally changed its name from Nippon Suisan Kaisha to Nissui Corporation on 1 December 2022. More recently, Nissui has worked on land-based aquaculture as a way to improve production stability and lessen exposure to marine disease, weather, and ecosystem constraints. Its first commercial land-based project, a whiteleg shrimp farm in Ei, Kagoshima, began operations in April 2023. A land-based mackerel project has been planned for commercial operation in 2026. Nissui today combines fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing, prepared foods, global procurement, and marine-derived fine chemicals through a broad international group.
- 2023
First land-based commercial aquaculture project
[1]A whiteleg shrimp farm in Ei, Kagoshima, began commercial operations.
- 2022
Corporate name changed to Nissui
[1]The formal corporate name changed from Nippon Suisan Kaisha to Nissui Corporation on 1 December.
- 2019
Flatfish investment
[1]Nissui acquired 75 percent of Flatfish Ltd.
- 2014
Head office moved to Nishi-Shimbashi Square
[1]The company's Tokyo head office moved to Nishi-Shimbashi Square in Minato.
- 2007
Cité Marine investment
[1]Nissui acquired shares in French processed-seafood company Cité Marine.
- 2001
Sealord and North American seafood brands added
[1]Nissui acquired 50 percent of Sealord and acquired Gorton's and Blue Water from Unilever.
- 1990
EPA-related pharmaceutical material approved
[1]Nissui obtained approval to produce EPA-E NISSUI, a pharmaceutical substance based on eicosapentaenoic acid.
- 1988
Salmon aquaculture expanded in Chile
[1]Nissui acquired Salmones Antartica, a Chilean salmon and trout aquaculture company.
- 1978
Chilean fishery base established
[1]EMDEPES was founded in Santiago, supporting Nissui's expansion into Chilean fisheries and later aquaculture.
- 1949
Tokyo Stock Exchange listing
[1]Nippon Suisan listed its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Products and positioning
An integrated, internationally oriented marine-products and food group combining fisheries, aquaculture, procurement, processing, consumer foods, food service, and marine-derived functional ingredients, with an emphasis on supply reliability and sustainability.
Frozen foods
Frozen seafood and prepared foods
Nissui produces and markets frozen fish, shellfish, prepared seafood, and convenience-oriented frozen foods for household and food-service use. The category became increasingly important as the company diversified beyond distant-water fishing and sought products with more processing value and more stable distribution characteristics.
Shelf-stable foods
Canned seafood
Nissui's canned-food business covers shelf-stable marine products, allowing fish and other seafood to be distributed beyond fresh-product supply cycles. Canned products form part of the company's consumer-foods portfolio in Japan and complement its frozen and chilled offerings.
Processed seafood
Surimi products
Surimi and other fish-paste products use processed fish proteins in convenient formats for retail and food-service markets. They represent Nissui's broader strategy of converting marine resources into standardized, value-added foods rather than relying only on the sale of whole fish.
Aquaculture
Aquaculture products
Nissui farms and markets species including salmon, Japanese amberjack, and whiteleg shrimp. Its operations have traditionally included ocean-based aquaculture, while the company is also developing land-based systems intended to improve production control and reduce exposure to marine environmental conditions.
Marine-derived fine chemicals · 1990
EPA-related ingredients
Nissui extracts and processes marine-derived compounds, including eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA-E NISSUI was approved as a pharmaceutical substance in 1990, illustrating the group's expansion from seafood into functional ingredients and fine chemicals.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2023
Expansion into land-based aquacultureStrategyBackground
Ocean-based farming is exposed to disease, weather, and ecological conditions. Nissui has pursued land-based systems to improve production stability and environmental control.
Action taken
A whiteleg shrimp farm in Ei, Kagoshima, began operations as Nissui's first land-based commercial aquaculture project.
Aftermath
The project established a commercial base for further land-based aquaculture development, including a planned mackerel farm.
2023
Investment in Immersion GroupM&ABackground
Nissui sought to broaden its portfolio through investment in emerging marine and environmental businesses.
Action taken
The company invested in Immersion Group, an Australian startup producing Asparagopsis.
Aftermath
The transaction was identified as Nissui's first startup investment.
2022
Corporate rebranding to NissuiStrategyBackground
Nissui had long been used as the company's common abbreviation and commercial identity, while Nippon Suisan Kaisha remained the formal name.
Action taken
The corporation changed its legal name to Nissui Corporation on 1 December 2022.
Aftermath
The formal name became consistent with the group's established brand identity.
2005
Whaling-fleet divestmentStrategyBackground
Nissui faced controversy connected with its participation in the modern global whaling industry.
Action taken
The company divested its whaling fleet.
Aftermath
Nissui continued repositioning its portfolio toward fisheries, aquaculture, processing, food products, and marine-derived ingredients.
1990
Development of EPA-E NISSUIProduct launchBackground
Nissui was diversifying beyond primary fishing and developing higher-value uses for marine resources.
Action taken
The company obtained approval to manufacture EPA-E NISSUI, a pharmaceutical substance based on eicosapentaenoic acid.
Aftermath
The approval helped establish marine-derived fine chemicals as one of Nissui's areas of activity.
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