Photo/Illutration Globally renowned “wagyu” beef (Provided by the Japan External Trade Organization)

The government is cracking down on trademark infringements overseas of globally renowned Japanese products by setting up specialized centers to root out unscrupulous business operators.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries estimates that food products passed off as genuine Japanese cuisine items such as Kobe beef, Seki Saba mackerel, Uji matcha and Nagasaki castella cake rake in more than 70 billion yen ($470 million) annually.

“We expect that informants will provide us information that is difficult to share with local authorities,” said a ministry representative.

As a first step, the ministry established a consultation counter within the Bangkok branch of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) on Nov. 17, with an eye on accepting reports by email.

Local staff members will be dispatched for confirmation when suspicious items are reported. They will then contact the pertinent authorities in Thailand and affected Japanese businesses to address potential infringements.

Anticipated cases include items whose producers’ names indicate they are not made in Japan. The cases also include meals served at restaurants that do not appear to use Japan-caught fish.

LEGAL EXPERTS ON HAND

Dedicated counters are due to start operations in eight countries and regions, including China and Vietnam, by next spring.

Lawyers and patent attorneys will also be available to offer advice to Japanese exporters.

The findings of a survey by the Japan Patent Office revealed that damage linked to mislabeled food items abroad amounted to 74.1 billion yen in 2020.

Exports of Japanese agricultural, forestry and fishery products, as well as other foodstuffs, came to 1.414 trillion yen in 2022, tripling over the course of the last 10 years. The ministry has set a target of raising the figure to 2 trillion yen by 2025.

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