To talk about the standard, you have to separate specification from sanitary and phytosanitary, which is a floor. Canada ships at a very high standard worldwide, and that would go to all countries when it comes to items like food safety. Where the Japanese differ would be on the tolerance for specifications. They require a very tight shape and size. Their portion control standards would be among the highest anywhere in the world. They would be the highest on a consistent basis. Japan needs those tolerances for a variety of reasons. It's the way their retail business works, their manufacturers work. They understand the cost of labour. If they can remove that cost of labour in Japan by having high-end suppliers produce back in their country of origin, they'll pay a premium to get that done.
On October 16th, 2012. See this statement in context.