Quick Enquiry

Based on the "Guidelines for Certification of Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporters Stores Overseas", JETRO recruits certifying organizations to certify restaurants and retailers that actively use Japanese produced foods or ingredients as Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporter Stores. Please take note of the following conditions when making your application.

1. Certifying Organization Conditions

• The organization shall have the intent and ability to conduct certification activities for Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporter based on the Guidelines.
• The organization shall have a proper management structure and processing capability for the paperwork necessary to certify Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporter.
• The executives of the organization shall not be anti-social forces.

2. Certifying organization obligations

• Recruitment and certification of supporter stores Certifying organizations shall recruit supporter stores and check that overseas restaurants and retailers which have applied meet the supporter store certification conditions in No. 3 of the Guidelines. The Japanese produced food and Japanese produced alcoholic beverages which are certification conditions shall be limited to products distributed and sold in accordance with laws of the country in question.
• Certification period of supporter stores The certification period of supporter stores shall be 2 years counting from the day of certification. When the certification period is complete, certification shall be renewable only if it can be confirmed that certification conditions are still met.
• Granting certificates for Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporter Certifying organizations shall issue grant certificates with the supporter store logo mark, set forth in No. 5 of the Guidelines.
• Submission of logo mark licensing applications Certifying organizations shall submit logo mark licensing applications to the operating and managing organization.
• Conducting regular support for supporter stores Certifying organizations shall provide support to supporter stores, such as sending information on food.
• Canceling certification of supporter stores Certifying organizations shall cancel certification of a supporter store if it is deemed to be difficult for that supporter store to maintain continuous activities that meet the certification conditions.
• Reports - Certifying organizations shall produce a list of certified supporter stores (by country/region, by city, store name) and report this to the operating and management organization every quarter (on the 10th day of April, July, October, and January).

3. Applications

A. Applications and attached documents

• Application (including a summary of the organization)
• Certification plan
• Materials concerning a support system for stores which receive certification as supporter stores (sending information on food, etc.)
• The statutes or regulations of the organization, a list of its executives, its recent business plans, a summary of the organization such as its financial statements, and materials that clarify their business activities and financial situation

B. Submission destination and submission method for applications

• Send applications in an electronic media format to the following email address.
• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
• Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries/Food Division
• Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporter Certification System Manager
• Email: afa-supporter@jetro.go.jp

4. Other items of importance

• Certifying organizations shall not use internal information or personal information learned when certifying a supporter store based on the Guidelines for any purposes other than certification of that supporter store.
• If it is determined that the work done relating certification by the certifying organization does not conform to the Guidelines or that it differs from the content of their application, then certification of that certifying organization shall be cancelled.
• Announcement of certifying organization status - Status as a certifying organization may be announced publicly on the JETRO homepage, etc.
• Sending of supporter store information - Information on supporter stores is planned to be posted on "Taste of Japan", an overseas Japanese restaurant search engine operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). URL: http://www.tasteofjapan.jp/
• Handling of reports - Report content may be publicly announced on the operation and management organization homepage.
• Other necessary matters will be determined separately by the operating and management organization.

5. Inquiries regarding this matter

• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Food Business Promotion Division
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Food Department
• Japanese Food and Ingredient Supporter Certification System Manage
• Ark Mori Building 6F, 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
• TEL: 03-3582-4954, FAX: 03-3582-7378, Email: afa-supporter@jetro.go.jp