In October 2025, the Japan Tea Industry Central Association filed an application with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for a national geographic indication covering Japanese tea. If approved, it would be the second national GI in Japan, after sake.
The ministry is accepting public comments through June 11, 2026. The timeline for registration has not been confirmed. The public comment period runs through June 11, 2026, after which an expert committee will review the application.
Why the application was filed
The stated reason is the growth of counterfeit Japanese tea products in overseas markets. Chinese companies filed over 3,000 trademark applications using "Uji" in China by 2019. Once registered, those trademarks have the effect of blocking authentic Japanese exports from using the name in that market.
Japan's green tea exports reached a record 72.1 billion yen in 2025, doubling from the previous year. The US was the top destination market. The GI application is partly a response to that growth: as export volume increases, so does the commercial incentive to counterfeit the most valuable regional names.
A geographic indication protects a product name that is linked to a specific origin. It does not mean the product is superior: it means the name can only be used for products that meet the defined origin and production criteria.
What the GI covers
The GI application covers non-fermented Japanese teas, including sencha, kabusecha, gyokuro, tencha (the leaf used to make matcha), hojicha, and powdered tea. Oolong and black tea are excluded.
To carry the GI mark under the industry's own voluntary standard, a product must use 100% Japanese tea leaves and complete all processing and packaging in Japan. The ministry's official GI framework allows blends that include a qualifying percentage of Japanese leaf, but the Japan Tea Industry Central Association has stated it will not apply the GI mark to blends. It to 100% Japanese products.
What it does not resolve
The GI does not retroactively invalidate foreign trademark registrations already in place. In markets where Chinese companies have already registered "Uji" as a trademark, Japanese exporters still face legal restrictions using that name, regardless of the GI outcome in Japan.
The GI also does not create a unified grading standard. Terms like "ceremonial grade" remain undefined by any Japanese government body. The GI addresses origin, not quality classification.
What buyers should know now
For buyers sourcing Japanese matcha in North America, the GI introduces a verifiable marker for origin, but only once it is formally registered and the mark is in use. In the interim, the relevant questions for supplier evaluation remain the same.
- Is the product made from 100% Japanese tea leaves, processed and packaged in Japan?
- Can the supplier provide documentation linking the tea to a specific growing region or producer?
- If the product is labeled "Uji," does the supplier reference the Kyoto Prefecture Tea Industry Council's regional definition, which covers leaves from Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, and Mie prefectures?
- Does the COA come from the producer or processor, not a third-party broker?
The GI, once in effect, will give buyers a standardized mark to look for. Until then, those questions are the practical proxy for what the GI is trying to formalize.
Source
Japan Tea Industry Central Association press release, May 2026. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries public comment period, through June 11, 2026. Japan Ministry of Finance trade statistics, 2025.