(Head office: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture; President: Toyohisa Yamada) is aiming for a world where anyone can farm marine products anywhere through a modular closed-loop land aquaculture system.ARK Corporation(headquartered in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture), has installed the ARK ZERO, a high-performance, environmentally friendly, commercial-use inshore aquaculture tank platform manufactured and sold by its subsidiary, Yamada Shokai Co.
Currently, ARK ZERO has begun trials of raising white shrimp (Banamei shrimp) from juvenile to establish sustainable aquaculture technology.
In addition, in order to accelerate the growth of this business, we will promote collaboration through investment in ARK and consider the possibility of further business expansion.

*Reference release:https://www.ark.inc/newslist/2025.07.09

 

Around 2050, there are fears of a "protein crisis," when demand for dietary protein exceeds supply due to global population growth. Furthermore, water, energy, and food have become common global issues, and the conventional fisheries and aquaculture industries face many challenges such as location, environmental impact, and resource constraints.
Against this backdrop, ARK aims to promote a sustainable aquaculture system and culture that does not depend on the sea through its closed-loop land-based aquaculture system. The system optimizes water quality, energy efficiency, and resource use efficiency while mitigating location and environmental constraints.

Yamada Shokai HD is promoting co-creation with deep-tech ventures, business companies, and researchers in Japan and overseas with the mission of enhancing the resilience of towns, countries, and the Earth and enriching people's lives amid the advent of rapid changes such as worsening natural disasters caused by global warming, aging infrastructure, and aging populations. In the field of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, in particular, we are working to promote decentralized food production systems, agricultural IoT and robotics, and upcycling and adding value to agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. The company is also working on upcycling and high value-added agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

The collaboration was reached because ARK's commitment to environmentally sustainable food production and Yamada Shokai HD's mission are in line with each other.
At ARK ZERO, set up at the Nissin Sales Office, we have started a breeding test to raise banamei shrimp from juvenile to shipping size. Banamei prawns are in high demand worldwide as a food source, and more than 90% of them are produced through aquaculture. Japan relies on imports for about 90% of its shrimp, and there are concerns about the instability of supply and the risk of fluctuations in shrimp supply prices. In addition, the leftover food and excrement from conventional aquaculture pollutes water bodies, leading to deterioration of water quality and adverse effects on coastal ecosystems.

Through this initiative, Yamada Shokai HD, together with ARK, aims to establish and promote a closed-loop land-based aquaculture system for shrimp to realize social values such as the creation of an autonomous decentralized food supply and demand balance, stable supply on a small scale, and reduction of food loss and environmental impact.

 

■Representative Comments

Toyohisa Yamada, President and Representative Director, Yamada Shokai Holding Co.
Through our collaboration with ARK, we will implement a new form of food production called land-based aquaculture and contribute to building a robust food supply system for the future."

Yosuke Kurihara, Global Representative, ARK Inc.
We create small oceans on land to give the sea a rest." This is our mission at ARK. Together with Yamada Shokai Holding, we hope to promote the spread of decentralized aquaculture systems with less environmental impact and realize a future in which each region can produce food sustainably."

 

＜For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact
Innovation Promotion Department, Yamada Shokai Holding Corporation (Attn: Satoshi Asano)
Phone: 052-871-9811 Email: yamada-hd@ymax.co.jp

ARK Corporation
Email: hello@ark.inc