4. Labeling Requirements

General Foods
Japan

This section provides information on labeling requirements and the label approval process.

4.1 Mandatory Labeling Parameters

1) Business to Consumer (B2C)

Article 3 of Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) [1] stipulates that processed foods that are sold Business to Consumer must bear the following labeling items:

1.  Product generic name
2. List of ingredients (in decreasing order of weight)
3. List of additives (in a decreasing order of weight including processing aids unless exempted)
4. Net quantity
5. Expiry date (use-by date or best-before date)
6. Storage conditions
7. Country of origin (applicable for imported products)
8. Name of food business operator (manufacturer, processor, distributor, or importer)
9. Name of the manufacturer (if the product is manufactured in Japan and if different from the food business operator)
10. Allergens (if the product contains any*)
11. Nutrition declaration table (per 100 g, 100 ml, serving, etc.)
12. Other labeling items required on a case-by-case basis by the Food Labelling Standards
    

Declaration for shrimp, crab, walnuts, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, and peanut is mandatory. A declaration is not mandatory but highly recommended for abalone, almond, squid, salmon roe, orange, cashew nuts, kiwi fruits, beef, sesame, salmon, mackerel, soybeans, chicken, banana, pork, matsutake mushroom, peach, yam, apple, and gelatin [1].

The mandatory labeling information shall be presented in the same table in the following order according to Article 8 and Appended Form 1 (presented above) of the Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) [1]:

1.  Product generic name
2. List of ingredients (in decreasing order of weight)
3. List of additives (in a decreasing order of weight including processing aids unless exempted)
4. Net quantity
   
5. Expiry date (use-by date or best-before date)
6. Storage conditions
7. Country of origin
8. Name of the manufacturer (or name of the importer for imported products)

The nutrition declaration table shall be prepared according to Article 8 and Appended Form 2 (presented above) of the Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) [1]. The nutrition declaration shall include the following mandatory information:

1. Unit (100 g, 100 ml, serving etc.)
2. Energy (kcal)
3. Protein (g)
4. Fat (g)
5. Carbohydrates (g)
6. Salt equivalent (g)

The 5 macronutrients are mandatory for all processed foods, with some exemptions (e.g., the surface area for label indication is 30 cm² or smaller, alcoholic beverages, foods of which nutritional contribution is very limited such as coffee beans and their extract, herbs and its extracts).

Declaration of other nutrients described below is optional but, when doing so, there is a specific way required by the regulation.

The contents of the following nutrients can be included in the above table (Article 8 and Appended Form 3). When doing so, cholesterol shall be presented after fat and before carbohydrates. 

Saturated fatty acid, n-3 fatty acid, and n-6 fatty acid shall be presented as a breakdown of fat. Trans fatty acids can be declared after n-6 fatty acids. Similarly, sugar and dietary fiber shall be presented as a breakdown of carbohydrates. Mono- and di-saccharides shall be presented as a breakdown of sugar. The other ‘optional’ nutrients (i.e., vitamins and minerals) shall be presented after the salt equivalent.

• Unit (100 g, 100 ml, serving, etc.)
• Energy (kcal)
• Protein (g)
• Fat (g)
  • Saturated fatty acid (g)
  • n-3 fatty acid (g)
  • n-6 fatty acid (g)
  • Trans fatty acid (g)
• Cholesterol (mg)
• Carbohydrates (g)
  • Sugar (g)
  • Mono- and di-saccharides (g)
  • Dietary fiber (g)
• Salt equivalent (g)
• (Vitamins and minerals (mg or µg))

The contents of any other food constituents that are not specified in the Food Labeling Standards (e.g., polyphenol, catechin, beta carotene, DHA) can be declared, but they shall be presented outside of the nutritional declaration table so that consumers can easily understand that they are not the nutrients specified by the Standards. 

2) Business to Business (such as restaurant) (B2B)

Article 10 of Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) [1] stipulates that processed foods that are sold Business to Business must carry the following items:

1. Product generic name
2. List of ingredients (in a decreasing order of weight)
3. List of additives (in a decreasing order of weight including processing aids unless exempted)
4. Expiry date (use-by date or best-before date)
5. Storage conditions
6. Country of origin (applicable for imported products)
7. Name of food business operator (manufacturer, processor, distributor, or importer)
8. Name of manufacturer (if the product manufactured in Japan and if different from the food business operator)
9. Allergens (if the product contains any)
10. Other labeling items required on a case-by-case basis by the Food Labeling Standards

The underlined items above must be displayed on product packages while the other items can be displayed on product packages or documents (invoice, delivery note, specification sheet, etc.) that accompany the products.

4.2 Languages

Article 8 (1) of the Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) [1] stipulates that food labels must written in Japanese.

4.3 Mandatory Information on Stickers

It is acceptable to capture mandatory labeling information on an additional sticker if such a sticker is used to present labeling information required by the Japanese regulations in the Japanese language. 

4.4 Product Legal Name

N/A. Please refer to Section 4.4 of product-specific guidebooks.

4.5 Product-specific Labeling Statements

N/A. Please refer to Section 4.5 of product-specific guidebooks.

4.6 Authority Approval

None.

4.7 Additional Notes on Labeling

None.

4.8 References

1. Food Labelling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) (in Japanese)

https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/document?lawid=427M60000002010