While Muslim, or “modest”, fashion is a new phenomenon in Japan, halal products have been on the menu here for some years now.
Japan Tourism Board figures show a record high number of visitors to Japan last year – more than 24 million people – says Tomoyuki Iizuka of the market research company Yano Research Institute.
The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held in 2020, and it is expected that the number of foreign guests visiting Japan will increase further, Mr Iizuka says.
“Along with this, Muslim visits to Japan are expected to further increase, and we anticipate that demand for halal food will also increase in Japan,” he says.
Running alongside the first Tokyo Modest Fashion Show in November was the third Halal Expo Japan, organised by Halal Media Japan.
Zarook Mohammed exhibited there as the halal foods division manager for Global Corporation, a Japanese company that imports Jakim Malaysia-approved chicken products and ready-made flat breads, as well as tea from Sri Lanka.
Despite the growing market for halal food in Japan, awareness of halal products and their safety and hygienic benefits beyond religious requirements needs to be raised, Mr Mohammed says.
“Many Japanese people think it is religious food and hesitate to consume it if there is a ‘halal’ label,” he says.
Yet, Kariya Bin Sulong, the owner of KZ Meliponines Paradise of Brunei, who exhibited at the show, thinks there is a market here for his company’s halal-certified stingless-bee honey.
The product carries the halal certification only as an insurance and marketing strategy, as pure honey is regarded as halal anyway.
Stingless bee honey is unique and rare, Mr Sulong says.
There is a severe lack of education with regards to the halal market and venues such as Halal Expo Japan serve to demonstrate just how lucrative the market is globally, and just how lucrative it could potentially be for Japan in particular, says Sami Hamdi, the founder of online magazine The National Interest.
The London-based new site covers politics, security, defence, law, economics and social issues.
Mr Hamdi says exhibiting at trade shows such as Halal Expo Japan allows Japanese people to visually define what “halal” actually means, making it easier to navigate what can easily be a dizzying maze of interpretations in defining what is permissible and what is not.
“There is certainly a desire amongst the Japanese authorities to develop the [halal] industry in line with ambitions to attract a sizeable segment of the 78 million Muslim travellers who visit Asia, particularly as the rise of far-right groups in Europe and the presence of Trump in the US force Muslims [from some countries] to look East for new holiday destinations,” he says.
For exporters to succeed here, Japanese language capability stands first and foremost, Mr Hamdi says. Many Japanese do not speak a second language, and even those who do are often uncomfortable with having to conduct business in another language.
There must also be an understanding of the business culture in Japan. Unlike in the West there are established customs here that are taken very seriously. “One ignores these customs at their own peril,” Mr Hamdi says.
It would, therefore, be necessary to partner with Japanese trading companies and wholesalers, adds Mr Iizuka.
Some Japanese companies that exhibited at the Halal Expo Japan also said they plan to export to countries with a large Muslim population. Choya, a producer of plum liquor called “umeshu,” started producing non-alcohol carbonated umeshu in 2011 following the growth of the non-alcohol beer market. The company acquired halal certification for its product in September from the Islamic Centre Japan.
Choya currently exports its non-alcohol umeshu to countries such as Germany, Singapore and the United States. The company’s overseas department junior manager Shinji Inaba also represented his company at Sial Middle East 2016, held in December in Abu Dhabi. “We will also export to the Middle East and South East Asia in the future,” Mr Inaba says.
Japanese exporters may find some push back in Arabian Gulf countries against goods such as raw fish, and it is often said that Japanese food can be an “acquired” taste.
However, this does not necessarily suggest any aversion to Japanese halal goods, Mr Hamdi says.
“Japanese food is often looked at with curiosity, and Japanese halal exporters may find this curiosity surrounding their products to be an advantage and a window within which to make a very good impression,” he says.
It is worth noting that many Muslims who visit Japan are often surprised at its unique flavour combinations such as green tea in confectionery, something currently unavailable in many parts of the Muslim world, Mr Hamdi says.
“In short, there is a unique space that Japanese halal food exporters can occupy in countries such as the UAE, which require providing halal food that still retains a uniquely Japanese identity.”
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More on animal trafficking
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5