Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/67532

Halal certification is a system used to certify items relating to food、 finance、 medical treatments、 and cosmetics、 among others. It indicates that these items have been prepared in conformance with Islamic percept and are permitted for Muslim consumption. In Japan、 a focus has been placed on expanding sales channels within the country by acquiring Halal certification for its exports、 primarily in relation to foods、 and the possibilities for exporting Japan’s food and farm produce to Islamic nations. 　As part of the grass roots technical co-operation project “Southeast Asian Food Industry Human Resources Development Project” conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in May 2014、the Obihiro Chamber of Commerce and Industry conducted a human resources exchange project for members of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) related to the food industry. This project focused on Malaysia where、 even as an ASEAN nation、 the Halal certification system is in widespread use. Based on a survey of actual conditions in Malaysia、 Indonesia、 and within Japan that was carried out during the grass roots technical co-operation project、 this paper considers the problems involved in achieving Halal certification in the agriculture and food industries in Japan、 and the possibility of improving the added-value of Hokkaido farm produce by exporting this produce to Islamic countries in Southeast Asia. The majority of the farm produce exported from Hokkaido is marine based、 such as scallops and sea cucumbers、 while there are few exports of livestock produce such as beef. There are many beef producers who are interested in acquiring Halal certification for their product、 but there are no Halal-compliant slaughterhouse facilities in Hokkaido. As additional transport expenses are required to transport cattle to Halal-compliant slaughterhouses outside of Hokkaido、 Halal-compliant Hokkaido beef sold in stores domestically and overseas will likely be quite expensive. Many problems remain in facilitating the Halal compliance of Hokkaido beef、 such as methods of support related to these additional transportation expenses、 and methods of transportation that involve a mixed cargo of Halal-compliant items.