The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has newly registered Japanese tea under the Geographical Indication Protection System.

Along with Japanese tea, the ministry also registered eel from Lake Hamana in Shizuoka Prefecture and Kaga lotus roots from Ishikawa Prefecture.

The government framework is aimed at protecting the names of region-specific agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products as intellectual property.

S/ Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Suzuki Norikazu / We hope this will enhance the overall brand power of Japanese tea, help differentiate it from products made in other countries, strengthen measures against imitation products and further boost robust exports.

Japanese tea exports have expanded amid the global matcha boom, with green tea exports hitting a record high 72.1 billion yen last year.

At the same time, foreign-made imitation products have been emerging, making countermeasures a pressing issue.

With the registration, authorities will now be able to crack down on unauthorized labeling and ask shopping sites to remove counterfeit products from online platforms.