The Northwest Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) is a typical oligotrophic region characterized by low chlorophyll and low primary production, where climate change-related dynamics are expected to be most pronounced. However, in this global warm pool, whether particulate organic carbon accumulates and is packaged for export hinges critically on the grazing process of microzooplankton on primary producers. Currently, critical evidence is lacking to reveal the seasonal and spatial comparisons of phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in the NPSG, as well as the distribution patterns of grazing pressure in this region. To address these scientific questions, we employed the dilution method and designed seasonal cruises in summer and winter, combined with extensive literature data, to uncover the effects of microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton growth, carbon biomass, and the transfer of primary production to higher trophic levels in the NPSG. The results showed that growth and grazing rates were coupled across different current zones and seasons in the NPSG, contributing to the region’s steady-state characteristics. However, under the influence of the Kuroshio's input of nutrients and temperature changes, localized uncoupling of phytoplankton growth and grazing occurred, leading to an increase in picophytoplankton carbon biomass. This uncoupling suggests that nutrient input and temperature variation driven by the Kuroshio may disrupt the balance of the NPSG. A broader spatial analysis revealed that grazing pressure in the NPSG was significantly higher than in other study regions, likely due to the critical role of temperature fluctuations in influencing grazing and growth compared to nutrient limitation. We suggest these observations carry important implications for understanding carbon export in the North Pacific and highlight the need to consider grazing pressure as a key variable in evaluating the structure and function of marine food webs.