Japan wants to protect its matcha and more
From grape varieties to tea, Japan has lost billions to foreign agricultural counterfeits. Now, it is raising a legal shield.
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In 2024, Japan’s export value of green tea, which includes matcha, reached an all-time high of 36.4 billion yen, an increase of roughly 25 per cent from 2023.
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
TOKYO – The name “champagne” cannot be used liberally. Bubbly crafted outside the Champagne wine region in north-eastern France is instead referred to by labels like “sparkling wine”.
This is far more than a mere “potayto-potahto” semantic debate.