Kindai University and Toyota Tsusho Corp. said Thursday they will step up exports of farmed bluefin tuna, targeting mainly Southeast Asia, with an eye to shipping 2,000 tuna worldwide in 2020.

The university in Osaka Prefecture and the trading house also plan to sell farmed yellowtail tuna overseas, aiming to promote sustainable fishery amid tightening global restrictions on catches at sea.

The cultivated bluefin tuna will be shown at a buyers' exhibition next Wednesday through Friday at Makuhari Messe convention center east of Tokyo.

Kindai and Toyota Tsusho are also considering exporting farm-raised red sea bream and white trevally.

A Kindai University official expressed hope that the promotion could "lead to market expansion for Japanese fish farmers."

The university, which is known for the "Kindai Tuna" brand, and the trading company signed a memorandum of understanding for promoting the branded farm-raised fish in 2014.

They annually produce 3,500 to 4,000 bluefin tuna, and plan to raise that to 6,000 in 2020.

Kindai Tuna is served at restaurants in the upscale Ginza district in central Tokyo and Umeda in the center of Osaka.