An Illustration of Japanese Scallop

An Illustration of Japanese Scallop  (20251204) 🦪

Release: December 2025

This illustration shows live Japanese scallops sold in a supermarket in Hokkaido, Japan. The original photograph was taken by a Minato News journalist and later processed using AI to create a watercolor-style illustration. Hokkaido is Japan’s largest scallop-producing region, but retail sales of live scallops are extremely rare within Japan.

Scallops are harvested or farmed in many countries around the world. In Japan, scallop production follows two main approaches: releasing juvenile scallops into the sea and harvesting them several years later, and non-fed aquaculture methods such as basket culture and rope suspension.

According to statistics compiled by Minato News based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Japan ranked as the world’s second-largest scallop producer after China in 2023, playing a significant role in the global scallop supply.

Scallops landed in Japan are processed in various ways. They may be removed from the shell and steam-heated, the adductor muscles extracted and processed into dried scallops, or canned. However, the largest share by volume is frozen in a raw state. Scallops frozen with their shells intact are mainly exported as raw material for further processing. In overseas locations such as Vietnam, the adductor muscles are removed, treated to retain moisture, re-frozen, and then exported to consumer markets, including the United States.

By contrast, scallop adductor muscles frozen for the Japanese market are not treated to retain moisture. Because Japanese consumers commonly eat scallops raw as sashimi and sushi, there is a strong preference for non-moisture-treated scallops that preserve the seafood’s natural flavor and texture. In the United States, moisture-treated scallops are sometimes referred to as “wet scallops,” while those without moisture treatment are known as “dry scallops.”

💡 Subject to the Usage Rights outlined below, this illustration may be used for both personal and commercial purposes.

If this illustration resonates with you, we would be grateful if you would consider acquiring it. During this trial sales period, you are welcome to choose an appropriate price.

Purpose of This Illustration

This illustration is intended to support professionals worldwide in gaining insight into Japanese seafood culture, encompassing raw materials, culinary practices, cultural events, and regional landscapes.

To achieve this objective, Minato News provides AI-enhanced illustrations that focus on:
• how raw materials imported into Japan are processed and served in retail and foodservice settings; and
• how raw materials exported from Japan are produced in their regions of origin.

About AI-Enhanced Illustration

• This illustration is an AI-enhanced, watercolor-style image created from photographs originally taken by Minato News journalists.

• If the original photographs contain price tags, labels, trademarks, or brand identifiers, such elements are removed, obscured, or replaced with non-identifiable imagery.

• When individuals appear in the source photographs, they are replaced with fictional characters or otherwise processed so that no individual can be identified.

• As this illustration is processed using AI, the sample illustration displays the label “AI-Enhanced.”
Please note that this label does not appear on the actual illustration sold.

• Dimensions: 1536 × 1024 px

• Format: JPG

© Copyright Minato News 2025

Usage Rights

You may use this illustration for any personal or commercial purpose, including but not limited to business reports, presentations, marketing materials, websites, and social media.

No attribution is required, and no additional licensing fees apply.

Modifications, edits, and combinations with other materials are permitted as necessary.

However, you may not:
• register this illustration, or any derivative thereof, as a trademark or service mark;
• use this illustration in any context that is unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory, or otherwise offensive to public morals;
• display the Minato News name or logo in connection with this illustration; or
• redistribute or resell the file “as is.”

The usage rights granted above apply only to the illustration itself and do not extend to any accompanying editorial text or descriptions.