Year of establishment: 1994 for alcoholic beverages, 2015 for agri-food products 

No. of agri-products under GI: 120 

Origin and location: GI products that meet the requirement that the characteristics of the product (quality and social reputation) are primarily attributable to the place of production may be registered. One of the requirements includes the link between the geographical features of the production area and the characteristics of the GI product. One of the requirements for designating GI is to have the characteristic of liquor which is essentially attributable to its geographical origin. 

Control system: Producer groups shall manage whether the quality, etc. of GI products conform to the product specifications. The government checks whether the quality control system of the producer groups is appropriate. The management organization established for each GI is supposed to confirm the conformity of its GI product specification. NTA cracks down on unauthorized uses of GIs by our inspections. 

See the full list of GI products from Japan 

National website: 
https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/intel/gi_act/index.html
https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/sake/hyoji/chiriteki.htm  
https://www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/liquor_administration/geographical/index.htm

Focal Ministries:
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for agri-food products 
Ministry of Finance for alcoholic products