Japan Holds Huge Potential For Malaysia's Halal Sector

A Special Report by Lucia Terey John TOKYO, May 9 (Bernama) -- Zubair Khalil, 30, faced difficulties in sourcing halal food when he first set foot on the land of the rising sun 11 years ago. He was a mechanical engineering undergraduate at Gifu University, in Gifu Prefecture then and at that time there were no Japanese restaurants or shops selling halal food or products there. The nearest halal food outlets were located 300 kilometres away, at metropolitan Tokyo. Thus, Zubair brought enough supply of halal rations each time he went back home and when the supply gets depleted his family back home couriers him what ever is necessary. Apart from that, he also actively searched for halal food and products through the net with his friends from Malaysia and this is how he finally found a Pakistani convenience store owner in Tokyo supplying halal necessities. "The Muslim man was selling numerous products. He was also into online business and this made it easier for me and my friends to buy the halal products from his shop," said Zubair to Bernama when met during the Malaysia's Johor State Government's recent trade and investment mission to Japan. THE MUSLIM FRIENDLY CONCEPT IS DOUBTFUL Though more than a decade has passed since Zubair set foot in the country, halal food and services remain a contention for Muslims including from Malaysia when they are in Japan. This is not surprising looking at the fact as of 2015, only 60 restaurants had halal certification and they were all located in Tokyo. The other restaurants have adopted the "Muslim Friendly" concept, that is providing halal food for Muslims along with the usual fares that may contain non halal poultry or meat and even alcohol. Apart from that, in the kitchen, the same kitchen utensils, and pots and pans are used to prepare both halal and non-halal fares and the 'sake' containing alcohol is also used in cooking. Therefore, the halal status of this "Muslim Friendly" outlets are doubtful and remains a cause of concern for Muslim diners. NOT FULL TIME HALAL RESTAURANTS One of those who have claim to have pioneered the "Muslim Friendly" concept is restaurateur, Kusumoto Katsumi, 41, in Minatoku, Tokyo. According to Kusumoto, the owner of "Kusumoto Nishiazabu" restaurant that opened its doors in 2010, he initially offered Japanese and French cuisine that he created as a chef. Three years later, a customer walked in and asked if he had any halal food to offer. "I answered no, yet ever since I had the idea of offering halal food. Coincidently then, no Japanese restaurants offered halal food. "We are the pioneers in "Muslim Friendly" eatery catering for Muslim diners. Nonetheless, it is only based on demand and this is not a full time halal restaurant," he said adding that he has his own set of rules in preparing halal food. HOW EFECTIVE IS THE HALAL CERTIFICATION Meanwhile, in Japan not many are aware that halal certification and regulatory efforts come under non-governmental organisations (NGO) and organisations related to Islam including Halal Asia Nippon Association and Japan Halal Association. It is not by the government like in Malaysia and therefore the legality of the standards and the enforcement remains questionable. To overcome this, Muslims visiting Japan are advised to bring their own food or just consume vegetarian or seafood at the "Muslim Friendly" restaurants. "I have been in Tokyo for a year now, and do the same. I do not want to take the risk of eating food contaminated with pork or others. "In fact, I even try my best to avoid soups fearing the stock could be made from ducks slaughtered not according syariah," said the Malaysian Investment Development Authority's (MIDA) Director in Tokyo, Zahirul Ishak. BIG POTENTIAL FOR HALAL FOOD IN JAPAN With Tokyo targeting more than 20 million tourists in the future, Member of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, Akihiro Suzuki was aware that halal food and products were critical in meeting the needs of rising number of Muslim visitors. Last year alone, a total of 19.73 million tourists arrived at the country with the Chinese being the biggest group accounting for 4.99 million out of the total. Other nations like Indonesia and Malaysia contributed more than 200,000 and 300,000 tourists respectively. "It is undeniable that, there has been an increase in the arrival of Muslim tourists each year and the number is set to increase further by 2020. "What we fear is that, Japan does not have the hospitality needed by Muslim travelers, how are the Muslim athletes going to adopt themselves here?," said Akihiro referring to the Olympics in 2020. JOHOR PAVES THE WAY INTO THE JAPANESE HALAL MARKET Realising of the opportunities, two Japanese setups Brahim Foods Japan and AT Toyyibah (Japan) Co. Ltd recently signed and (MoU) with a Johor state government subsidiary. According to the MoU, JT Laboratories Sdn Bhd based in Johor Baharu will assist the Japanese partners in obtaining halal accreditation from Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in coming up with their products. Concurrently, JT Laboratories will also share its know-how in the halal sector including in research and development and the halal certification audit. The Johor State Government views the cooperation as the best opportunity to look for market for its halal products there. Chief Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin who headed the trade and investment mission to Japan noted that in the bigger picture, the memorandum would benefit all parties involved. This is because there is a huge untapped Muslim market of 1.6 billion Muslims, a quarter of the world's population. By 2050 the figure is expected to represent half of the world's population. The global value of the halal products complying the syariah laws are worth more than US$2 trillion (RM8 trillion) annually, with the halal food segment itself representing US$632 billion (RM2.5 trillion) or 16 percent of the total value of the global food industry. "The halal food market is an important part of the international food chain and is gaining worldwide attention. "Its value is worth US$1.1 trillion (RM4.4 trillion) globally in 2013 and is estimated to hit US$1.6 trillion (RM6.4 trillion) within the next five years. With the enormous potential, this industry is something that cannot be ignored," he said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIDE BAR MALAYSIA AND SOUTHERN STATE JOHOR SET TO BECOME THE GLOBAL HALAL HUB Johor Chief Minister Mohamed Khaled noted that many things have been done over time for Johor especially and Malaysia generally in attaining the global halal hub status. "We have been promoting the development of the halal industry since 40 years ago starting with the halal certification. Since then, there has been lots of achievements and we believe it is only a matter of time Malaysia will emerge as the global halal hub. Now the Malaysian halal certification, including its logo known throughout the world, encompasses 13 Malaysian Standards on Halal representing food, cosmetic, logistic, pharmacy and Islamic tourism acknowledged globally. "Currently, the country is in its last phase in introducing the Halal Industry Master Plan that encompasses the policies and framework to set up the right infrastructure and framework and the assistance from the related institutions. "With the latest development, we are happy to share our expertise and experience with the Japanese partners," he added. He was confident that Japan being the market for high quality food, will open the doors for halal products and create a win-win situation for both sides. With a possibility of a "halal park" being established, it certainly opens great opportunities for Japan and investors from Malaysia. --BERNAMA