adminTOKYO: Japan’s Agriculture Ministry on Friday registered three new products, including “Japanese tea”, under the geographical indication (GI) protection system to protect the brand of the country’s agricultural and fishery products following the spread of counterfeit products overseas, Kyodo News reported.
Once registered, the product can be marketed with the GI mark, while the government will take action against false labelling and other violations.
The new registration for Japanese tea covers all green tea grown and processed domestically.
The move is considered unusual because the GI system typically protects brand names associated with specific production regions, whereas the Japanese tea registration does not designate specific production areas.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the initiative aims to highlight the differences between Japanese tea and counterfeit products from abroad to increase its value, in line with the growing popularity of green tea internationally.
The GI application for Japanese tea was submitted last October by the Tokyo-based Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association, following concerns over the unauthorized use of the brand as counterfeit products became increasingly prevalent overseas.
Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki said at a news conference Friday that he expected the registration to “help strengthen the overall Japanese tea brand, enhance measures to combat counterfeit products and continue to boost strong exports.”
In addition to Japanese tea, the new registration also includes “Lake Hamanako Japanese eel” from Shizuoka Prefecture and “Kaga lotus root” from Ishikawa Prefecture, both in central Japan.
Japan’s GI protection system for agricultural and fishery products was introduced in 2015.
With the latest registration, the total number of products registered now reaches 170.
Specialty tea products that have been protected under the GI system are “Kikugawa deep-steamed green tea” from Shizuoka Prefecture and “traditional and original gyokuro Yame” from Fukuoka Prefecture.
Similar systems have been introduced in over 100 countries.
Japan also has joint protection arrangements with the European Union and Britain to ensure that products with GI status are protected in partner countries, thus increasing its credibility in overseas markets.
— BERNAMA-KYODO
