1
The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, JIRCAS, has signed a deal with startup Kaginowa to grow methane-cutting seaweed directly in coastal waters.
The goal is to create a steady supply of the seaweed as a cattle feed additive that can significantly lower livestock emissions.
The focus is on Kagikenori, a native Japanese seaweed. Early research shows that adding just small amounts to feed can inhibit methane production in cattle.
The challenge has always been scale. Growing enough of it reliably, outside a lab, has held the industry back.
That is what this partnership is designed to solve.
What the project covers
We are excited to share with you
This FREE E-Book of 50 Agritech Pioneers & Their Game Changing Innovations.
Download the Ebook now
- Where: Cultivation trials will use artificially produced seedlings in marine sites including Yamakawa Bay in Kagoshima Prefecture
- Who is leading: JIRCAS researcher Tatsuya Matsuda, who previously worked with Nagasaki University to stabilize seedling production
- Timeline: Trials run through March 2028
- What they will test: How Kagikenori grows under different ocean conditions, and how active compounds that reduce methane are produced and stored in real-world cultivation
JIRCAS brings the seaweed science. Kaginowa brings aquaculture know-how. The company spun out of microalgae specialist Alnur and already completed its first outdoor land-based harvest of Kagikenori in 2025, in trials aimed at volumes over 1,000 litres.
The angle is twofold. For agriculture, it is a practical tool to cut one of the biggest greenhouse gases after CO2. For coastal communities, it is a potential new income stream. Kaginowa is developing both the feed product and a model to tie emissions reduction to marine production and fisheries revenue.
JIRCAS operates under Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and says moving beyond lab tanks to real marine environments is the next critical step to commercialization.
If the trials work, Japan could have a domestically farmed feed ingredient that helps farmers meet climate targets without overhauling herds, and gives fishing regions a new crop to cultivate.
