Japanese dairies have plenty of milk apparently. Milk consumption is in a freefall in the Land of the Rising Sun, while production has skyrocketed. With limited success in marketing efforts to increase consumption, the Japanese government is working to dispense excess milk as foreign aid.

In March, the Hokkaido Union of Agricultural Associations disposed of 1,000 tons of raw milk. Hokkaido, the northernmost island, is the heart of Japan’s milk producing region, and home to nearly 8,000 dairies. The excess in production is due partly to increase of milk per cow, but also to Japanese consumer concerns about what is described as “over-nutrition.” As sales of softdrinks grow, annual milk consumption has decreased three percent in each of the last two years.