Table 1. Japan’s initiatives toward...

Table 1.

Japan’s initiatives toward tourism and halal (2012–2025)

No.	Year	Government agency	Policy name	Overview	Category *
1	2012	Cabinet	The second basic plan for the promotion of a Tourism-Oriented nation	The goal is to reach 18 million inbound tourists to Japan by the year 2016 (2012–2016)	●
2	2013	Prime minister’s office	Strategy for revitalizing Japan	Revised Edition: The goal is to increase the annual export value of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food to ¥1 trillion by 2020, and to ¥5 trillion by 2030	◎
3	2014	MAFF	Survey project aimed at building a supply infrastructure for halal beef	Under the country- and item-specific export strategy for agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food, a target export value of ¥25 billion was set for beef. At the same time, detailed support measures were established for groups seeking to obtain Halal certification	◎
4	2014	Cabinet	Basic matters related to the production of halal beef involving the acceptance of foreign workers	in addition to expanding beef exports to Islamic countries, slaughterhouse operators are required to submit a business plan document to promote the domestic consumption of domestically produced beef among Muslim consumers
5	2014	MAFF	Guidelines for Halal Food Export	Basic information such as the structure of Halal certification and differences in systems across countries has been compiled	◎
6	2015	JTA	Guidebook for Welcoming Muslim Visitors	To improve the environment in which Muslim travelers can stay in Japan comfortably and with peace of mind—without experiencing inconvenience due to religious or cultural practices—a collection of practical response measures and sample English phrases for handling inquiries has been compiled	◎
7	2015	MAFF	Case Studies of Halal Food Export Initiatives by Domestic Companies with Halal Certification	To serve as a reference for food businesses aiming to enter the Islamic market, case studies have been compiled of companies that have obtained Halal certification and have a track record in manufacturing and exporting Halal products	◎
8	2016	MAFF	Revised Edition of the Guidelines for Halal Food Export	In addition to basic information on Halal food, this document provides a clear summary of consultation services, support measures and other relevant resources	◎
9	2017	MAFF	Revised Edition of the Guidelines for Halal Food Export	Update information on differences in systems across countries, a list of domestic halal certification bodies and details for each domestic halal certification body	◎
10	2017	Cabinet JTA	Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country (Third Revised Edition)	In the 'Council for the Development of a Tourism Vision to Support the Future of Japan’, the Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country was revised. It set targets of 40 million inbound tourists and ¥8 trillion in inbound travel consumption by 2020, and 60 million tourists and ¥15 trillion in consumption by 2030 (2017–2020)	●
11	2017	JTA	FY2017 MICE Promotion Policy	Business expenditures associated with hosting MICE events generate significant economic ripple effects, particularly in the regions where the events are held. Therefore, a strategic promotion policy for hosting MICE events is essential	●
12	2017	MIC	Survey Results on the Development of an Inclusive Environment for Foreign Nationals Requiring Religious Consideration — Focusing on Muslims	A survey report on businesses, universities and local governments with a high number of Muslims and others has been published to serve as a reference for future initiatives	◎
13	2018	JTA	Muslim Hospitality Guidebook (Revised Edition)	In 2015, a guidebook was published to support Muslim-friendly tourism. It was later revised and reissued with additional case studies and practical examples of how to welcome Muslim travelers	◎
14	2018	JTA	Comprehensive Strategy for Visit Japan Promotion	Promotional Strategy to Maximize Global Interest in Japan Driven by the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and to Achieve the Goals of the Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Nation (2018–2020)	●
15	2018	JTA	MICE Promotion Policy	Building on the current status and challenges of the 2017 promotion policy to expand the hosting and attraction of MICE events (2018–2020)	●
16	2019	MIC	Improving infrastructure and services to accommodate the dietary and religious needs of international students	A summary of initiatives by the seven national university corporations in Kyushu has been compiled, focusing on support for international students’ daily lives, including the availability of halal food and the establishment of prayer spaces	◎
17	2020	MAFF	2020 Commissioned Project for Developing Export Infrastructure: Research and Promotion of Halal and Kosher Certification Systems	A study was conducted on the systems and procedures of destination countries required to obtain necessary import approvals, such as halal certification and sanitary permits and the conditions required within Japan for exporting halal food products. A similar scope of research was also applied to kosher certification	◎
18	2020	MIC	Results of a survey on the acceptance of foreign patients at medical institutions	In the context of enhancing the health-care environment for resident and visiting foreigners, this survey presents findings on innovative practices and challenges in accommodating foreign patients throughout each phase of their medical visit
19	2022	JTA	Creating High-Value Inbound Tourism Hubs in Local Regions	Designated 14 regional model destinations and implemented measures to enhance visitor attraction	●
20	2022	JTA	Comprehensive Policy Package to Revitalize Inbound Tourism	To support the full-scale recovery of inbound tourism, Japan is implementing the “Tourism Relaunch Initiative,” which promotes the appeal of regions across the country to a global audience. This effort is aiming for the swift achievement of over ¥5 trillion in inbound consumption	●
21	2023	Cabinet	The Fourth Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Nation	Reviving inbound tourism, revitalizing domestic travel and fostering sustainable, high-value regional destinations. The goal is to reach 6,000 million inbound tourists to Japan by the year 2030 (2023–2025)	●
22	2024	JTA	Establishment of the Headquarters for Eliminating Transportation Gaps by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism	The goal is to establish an environment in which local residents throughout Japan can reliably access taxis and similar services, and in which visitors can easily use such services at key transportation nodes	●
23	2025	Cabinet Secretariat	The 2025 World Exposition in Japan (Osaka–Kansai Expo)	Sustaining the Growth of Osaka, Kansai, and Japan Following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games	●
24	2025	MAFF	Basic Information on Halal	Muslim population, religious composition in Asia, what halal means, the halal certification process and trends among Japanese companies	◎

No.	Year	Government agency	Policy name	Overview	Category *
1	2012	Cabinet	The second basic plan for the promotion of a Tourism-Oriented nation	The goal is to reach 18 million inbound tourists to Japan by the year 2016 (2012–2016)	●
2	2013	Prime minister’s office	Strategy for revitalizing Japan	Revised Edition: The goal is to increase the annual export value of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food to ¥1 trillion by 2020, and to ¥5 trillion by 2030	◎
3	2014	MAFF	Survey project aimed at building a supply infrastructure for halal beef	Under the country- and item-specific export strategy for agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food, a target export value of ¥25 billion was set for beef. At the same time, detailed support measures were established for groups seeking to obtain Halal certification	◎
4	2014	Cabinet	Basic matters related to the production of halal beef involving the acceptance of foreign workers	in addition to expanding beef exports to Islamic countries, slaughterhouse operators are required to submit a business plan document to promote the domestic consumption of domestically produced beef among Muslim consumers
5	2014	MAFF	Guidelines for Halal Food Export	Basic information such as the structure of Halal certification and differences in systems across countries has been compiled	◎
6	2015	JTA	Guidebook for Welcoming Muslim Visitors	To improve the environment in which Muslim travelers can stay in Japan comfortably and with peace of mind—without experiencing inconvenience due to religious or cultural practices—a collection of practical response measures and sample English phrases for handling inquiries has been compiled	◎
7	2015	MAFF	Case Studies of Halal Food Export Initiatives by Domestic Companies with Halal Certification	To serve as a reference for food businesses aiming to enter the Islamic market, case studies have been compiled of companies that have obtained Halal certification and have a track record in manufacturing and exporting Halal products	◎
8	2016	MAFF	Revised Edition of the Guidelines for Halal Food Export	In addition to basic information on Halal food, this document provides a clear summary of consultation services, support measures and other relevant resources	◎
9	2017	MAFF	Revised Edition of the Guidelines for Halal Food Export	Update information on differences in systems across countries, a list of domestic halal certification bodies and details for each domestic halal certification body	◎
10	2017	Cabinet JTA	Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country (Third Revised Edition)	In the 'Council for the Development of a Tourism Vision to Support the Future of Japan’, the Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country was revised. It set targets of 40 million inbound tourists and ¥8 trillion in inbound travel consumption by 2020, and 60 million tourists and ¥15 trillion in consumption by 2030 (2017–2020)	●
11	2017	JTA	FY2017 MICE Promotion Policy	Business expenditures associated with hosting MICE events generate significant economic ripple effects, particularly in the regions where the events are held. Therefore, a strategic promotion policy for hosting MICE events is essential	●
12	2017	MIC	Survey Results on the Development of an Inclusive Environment for Foreign Nationals Requiring Religious Consideration — Focusing on Muslims	A survey report on businesses, universities and local governments with a high number of Muslims and others has been published to serve as a reference for future initiatives	◎
13	2018	JTA	Muslim Hospitality Guidebook (Revised Edition)	In 2015, a guidebook was published to support Muslim-friendly tourism. It was later revised and reissued with additional case studies and practical examples of how to welcome Muslim travelers	◎
14	2018	JTA	Comprehensive Strategy for Visit Japan Promotion	Promotional Strategy to Maximize Global Interest in Japan Driven by the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and to Achieve the Goals of the Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Nation (2018–2020)	●
15	2018	JTA	MICE Promotion Policy	Building on the current status and challenges of the 2017 promotion policy to expand the hosting and attraction of MICE events (2018–2020)	●
16	2019	MIC	Improving infrastructure and services to accommodate the dietary and religious needs of international students	A summary of initiatives by the seven national university corporations in Kyushu has been compiled, focusing on support for international students’ daily lives, including the availability of halal food and the establishment of prayer spaces	◎
17	2020	MAFF	2020 Commissioned Project for Developing Export Infrastructure: Research and Promotion of Halal and Kosher Certification Systems	A study was conducted on the systems and procedures of destination countries required to obtain necessary import approvals, such as halal certification and sanitary permits and the conditions required within Japan for exporting halal food products. A similar scope of research was also applied to kosher certification	◎
18	2020	MIC	Results of a survey on the acceptance of foreign patients at medical institutions	In the context of enhancing the health-care environment for resident and visiting foreigners, this survey presents findings on innovative practices and challenges in accommodating foreign patients throughout each phase of their medical visit
19	2022	JTA	Creating High-Value Inbound Tourism Hubs in Local Regions	Designated 14 regional model destinations and implemented measures to enhance visitor attraction	●
20	2022	JTA	Comprehensive Policy Package to Revitalize Inbound Tourism	To support the full-scale recovery of inbound tourism, Japan is implementing the “Tourism Relaunch Initiative,” which promotes the appeal of regions across the country to a global audience. This effort is aiming for the swift achievement of over ¥5 trillion in inbound consumption	●
21	2023	Cabinet	The Fourth Basic Plan for Promoting Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Nation	Reviving inbound tourism, revitalizing domestic travel and fostering sustainable, high-value regional destinations. The goal is to reach 6,000 million inbound tourists to Japan by the year 2030 (2023–2025)	●
22	2024	JTA	Establishment of the Headquarters for Eliminating Transportation Gaps by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism	The goal is to establish an environment in which local residents throughout Japan can reliably access taxis and similar services, and in which visitors can easily use such services at key transportation nodes	●
23	2025	Cabinet Secretariat	The 2025 World Exposition in Japan (Osaka–Kansai Expo)	Sustaining the Growth of Osaka, Kansai, and Japan Following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games	●
24	2025	MAFF	Basic Information on Halal	Muslim population, religious composition in Asia, what halal means, the halal certification process and trends among Japanese companies	◎

Note(s):

*●Initiatives toward overall tourism development, ◎ Initiatives toward halal-related project,

MAFF : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

MIC：Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

JTA：Japan Tourism Agency

MICE：Meeting, Incentive Travel, Convention, Exhibition/Event

Source(s): Authors’ own work

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