MAFF Registers Three Products as Geographical Indications (GI), Including 'Japanese Tea'
「日本茶」をはじめとする3産品を、地理的表示（GI）として登録
Summary
Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries registered 'Japanese Tea' (日本茶) as a national geographical indication on July 10, 2025, alongside Lake Hamana eel and Kaga lotus root. The GI designation protects tea's origin and quality reputation as intellectual property, reinforcing Japan's terroir-driven brand in global trade. This brings total domestic GI products to 170 and strengthens legal defense of Japanese tea's distinctiveness against low-cost foreign imitat…
Key points
- Japan's entire tea category now holds national GI status, not just regional origins like Uji or Yame.
- Public-interest tea industry body (日本茶業中央会) appointed as official producer group for GI enforcement and licensing.
- GI mark enables certified Japanese tea to signal authenticity and quality premium in export markets.
- Registration number 170 reflects growing portfolio of protected Japanese agricultural products with origin claims.
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About this article
What they said
“The GI protection system safeguards the names of agricultural and food products with quality and social reputation nurtured in natural, cultural, and social factors unique to each region, as intellectual property of that region.”
地理的表示（GI）保護制度は、その地域ならではの自然的、人文的、社会的な要因の中で育まれてきた品質、社会的評価等を有する農林水産物・食品の名称を、その地域における知的財産として保護するものです。
“With this registration, Japan's domestic portfolio of GI-registered products now reaches 170.”
今回の登録により、日本国内のGI登録産品は170産品になりました。
The numbers
Domestic GI-registered products: 170
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