According to OECD data, Japan ranks seventh among countries most affected by counterfeiting activities, of which around 74.1 billion yen (US$492.7 million) is due to counterfeit food.
“Processed foods are a particularly important export sector for Japan, with exports accounting for approximately 771.1 billion yen (US$7.15 billion), and Japanese companies holding a 2.2% global market share in this sector.”The Japan Patent Office stated through an official report.
“Other major segments are alcoholic beverages (432.3 billion yen/4 billion USD) and soft drinks (217.9 billion yen/2.02 billion USD), with Japanese companies accounting for 5.2% and 2.6% of the global market share, respectively. Masu.
“These three categories have also been found to be among the most counterfeited export products, costing us well over 136 billion yen (US$904 million) in 2021. .
“Investigations of local manufacturers have revealed that many of these counterfeit products are still being manufactured in China, and the methods used to conceal the production and sale of these products have become more sophisticated over the years.
“For example, some of these are mass-produced in China, but the logos are exported separately; [only] Technically it is not a trademark infringement as it is affixed in the country of sale. [for the majority of the process] And enforcement can only be enforced for a short period of time, from the time the logo is applied to the time it is sold. ”
To counter these new tactics, the government is also deploying more advanced and advanced technology to identify and eliminate counterfeit goods, including working with special digital platforms under the Emergency Export Environment Project led by the Japanese government. We are also considering the introduction of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
“The Emergency Export Environment Improvement Project aims to resolve various issues and challenges to Japan's export destination countries, such as regulations and other impediments.”the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries stated.
“This will be critical to achieving the Japanese government's export target of 2 trillion yen (US$13.3 billion) by 2025 and 5 trillion yen (US$33.3 billion) by 2030.”
Under this project, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has commissioned a coalition specialized in intellectual property protection using the digital platform Linkmonitor, developed by Tutela Digitale, to monitor and track counterfeit Japanese food products in France. Won the bid for surveillance.
“Linkmonitor is a platform that analyzes the reputation of people, brands, and products across more than 150 million online sources in 187 languages in real time. [and Tutela Digitale] France is tasked with monitoring all mentions of 229 Japanese GI products. ”Sveva Antonini, IP lawyer and co-founder of Tutela Digitale, said:
“This includes all references to Japanese food that may appear in online posts, social media, articles, and newspaper articles, from Kobe beef to Yubari melon and miso haccho to iburi gakko to the famous Oita mandarin orange kabosu. .
“The results obtained are further filtered by the platform and [we will also provide] Gather legal expertise, analyze the results, and create a database containing citations of supermarkets, restaurants, and stores that claim to offer one or more of the 229 items selected by the Japanese government to the public. The goal is to. ”
This is not the first time Linkmonitor has worked on anti-counterfeiting measures at the government level, as it has previously successfully completed similar projects with the Italian government.
“Counterfeiting is a problem that has a very strong impact not only in Japan but globally, costing the economy billions every year.”he added.
“This project represents a fundamental step towards protecting our brands, products and companies while promoting sustainable export growth.”
Japanese GI protection products
A search of the Japanese Geographical Indications website as of March 2024 shows that there are currently 145 agricultural product-related geographical indications registered, of which 6 were listed in January 2024 alone. It was revealed.
Examples of processed products include “black garlic'' from Aomori prefecture, “Sanuki white miso'' from Kagawa prefecture, “Date no Anpo persimmon'' from Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, and “Miwa somen'' from Nara prefecture. .
In order for a particular product to be classified as having a particular geographical origin, it must meet very specific characteristics. This is usually a combination of both natural characteristics such as climate and soil conditions. And a unique manufacturing method.
Geographically indicated products in Japan are protected as intellectual property under the Act on the Protection of Names of Specified Regional Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Products and Foods (Geographical Indication (GI) Act).
