MHC featured in TV9 Syahadah Tokyo and TV Al-Hijrah Fajar Iman di Bumi Nihon-Episode 3
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The Star Sunday, 24 March 2013 | MYT 12:00 AM Firms appeal to Muslims with halal food TOKYO: With markets expanding in Muslim countries, a number of Japanese companies see the production of halal foods and other products as a passport to the Islamic world, even though this might mean the complete renovation of a factory. Halal, an Arabic term meaning “permissible”, is used to designate the preparation of food Muslims are allowed to eat according to Islamic law. Other products also must contain ingredients that are considered halal. Cattle and chickens are slaughtered and processed using a special method, which is accompanied by an Islamic prayer. Pork and alcohol are totally forbidden. Halal authentication bodies have received applications from Japanese companies that want to produce halal products for Islamic countries. The number of restaurants and university cafeterias offering halal dishes is also increasing. “Halal is a passport to Islamic countries,” Akmal Abu Hassan, 43, a Malaysian living in Japan, said at a forum held in Saitama in mid-February. About 150 people from companies thinking of expanding into Islamic countries attended the forum. Hassan, who runs a company to help Japanese companies develop halal products, said: “(Islamic countries are) a promising future market. This is a good opportunity (to develop halal products).” The number of Muslims is expected to exceed two billion in 2030. Two of the largest Muslim countries, Indonesia and Bangladesh, are expected to chalk up growth rates of 6%. In anticipation of the future huge market, Japanese companies scrambling to receive halal authentication are on the increase. However, it is not easy for a company to meet the requirements. An association official said: “In some cases, it is necessary to totally renovate a factory.” Only five applications have been approved over the past three years, the official said. At a spice manufacturing company in Ageo, Saitama prefecture, which received halal authentication from another organisation, part of its factory was renovated to produce halal products exclusively. Kazuto Inoue, 73, who runs the company, is busily developing halal products. “The Muslim market is very attractive,” he said. The tourism industry also has its eye on Muslim countries. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), the number of tourists from Indonesia last year increased by nearly 60% compared to visitors from that country in 2007. The Japan Halal Association said the number of restaurants offering halal dishes has increased rapidly over past 10 years. Currently, about 200 restaurants across the nation offer halal dishes. Takayuki Ishihara, manager of the Gyumon barbecue restaurant in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, which offers halal meat, said, “I hope mutual understanding will deepen between Muslims and Japanese by dining here.” The JNTO, which plans to open an office in Indonesia in May, is preparing booklets to introduce Japanese restaurants offering halal dishes and places where Muslims can pray, an official said. A restaurant on the University of Tokyo’s Hongo campus prepares a daily halal dish, such as chicken cooked in tomato sauce and beef curry. The restaurant staff have discussed menus with Muslim students, and separate cooking utensils are used to prepare halal dishes from those needed for other dishes. An oven is set aside for halal dishes. According to the National Federation of University Co-operative Associations, seven other universities prepare halal dishes. Chukyo University Prof Ryoichi Namikawa, who has written a book about the concept of halal, said: “People may have become more interested in Muslim countries because of China’s economic slowdown. To understand Muslim countries, an understanding of halal is essential.” Ryukyu shimpo |
Okinawa Halal Chamber launched to advance into Islamic market On August 28 at the Okinawa Industry Support Center in Oroku, Naha City, Akmal Abu Hassan of Malaysia Halal Corporation Co., Ltd. shared tips for business expansion in Islamic market. |
August 29, 2014@Ryukyu Shimpo
On August 28, the Okinawa Products Associated Co. Ltd launched the Okinawa Halal Chamber to expand business for Okinawan products in the Islamic market in Southeast Asia. The Chamber will hold test marketing of Okinawan products in Malaysia in November and in Singapore in January 2015. The Chamber consists of 19 Okinawan companies and supporting groups made up of food manufacturers. It plans to increase its membership. The board members will be selected at the next meeting in October. The head office is located at the Overseas Project Division of the Okinawa Products Associated Co. During the first year of the project, the Chamber will conduct research of Islamic markets and conduct study sessions to get certification as a producer of Halal food (cooked and processed according to the law of Islam). Focusing on markets in Malaysia and Singapore, the Chamber will develop gnon-pork, non-alcoholh products. The Chamber is planning to sell products from the member companies that get certification as Halal food producers. On August 28, the Chamber held its first meeting at the Okinawa Industry Support Center. Akmal Abu Hassan of Malaysia Halal Corporation Co., Ltd. gave a lecture on the theme of gtips for business expansion in Islamic market.h Akmal emphasized the importance of understanding Muslim and Halal business. (English translation by T&CT and Megumi Chibana) |
The Japan Times Tour, food firms see benefits in catering to Muslim clients Halal-certified: Malaysian Muslim tourists eat 'yakiniku' grilled food using halal meat at the Sumiyakiya Nishiazabu restaurant in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Dec. 7. | KYODO BY MEGUMI IIZUKA Seeking new opportunities in a global market said to be worth over $600 billion, Japanese food and tourism businesses are turning their eyes to Muslim consumers and starting to offer food and other products and services that follow the Islamic rules of halal. In a dimly lit Japanese restaurant near Tokyofs Roppongi district, seven Muslim tourists from Malaysia gathered to enjoy gyakinikuh grilled meat that had been specially prepared and served according to Islamic Sharia law. For those reserving the halal fare at the restaurant in advance, halal beef placed in a separate freezer is served with plates and glasses that are kept in cupboards apart from other dishes to avoid direct and indirect contact with pork and other nonhalal food. Ahmad Khuzaimi Abdul Rashid, a tourist from Malaysia who visited the Sumiyakiya Nishiazabu eatery, said, gIf it were not for these restaurants, I would need to go for vegetarian or Malaysian foodh to be certain the food was halal, despite being keen to taste local Japanese cuisine. Halal means permitted or lawful according to Islamic Law, which forbids consuming flesh of swine and alcoholic drinks as well as charging and paying interest, among other things. In terms of meat, animals need to be properly slaughtered by following such procedures as severing veins in the neck with a sharp knife to minimize pain and reciting the name of God, or Allah. Sumiyakiya started offering halal yakiniku in March after obtaining a certificate from a halal consulting firm in Japan. Since then, the shop has been flooded with inquiries and seen the number of Muslim customers rise by 20 percent in about nine months. gJapanese are keeping their purse strings tight because of economic slowdown. On the other hand, affluent Muslim customers are ready to spend money on meals, but there arenft places for them to eat out. I think there are good business opportunities here,h said Roger Diaz, a 44-year-old native of Sri Lanka who heads the restaurant. According to the U.S. Halal Association, the total global Muslim population is estimated at 1.6 billion, or around 25 percent of the worldfs population, with the $632 billion halal food market accounting for 16 percent of the global food industry. The number of visitors to Japan from Indonesia, home to the biggest Muslim population in the world, as well as from Malaysia, where about 60 percent of the population is Muslim, jumped between 2003 and 2010, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. The JNTO says the number of Muslim travelers to Japan is generally on the rise, although official data on Muslims are not available. Seeing it as a business opportunity, some Japanese nonprofit organizations as well as private firms have started offering services assisting Japanese businesses to obtain halal accreditation. Malaysia Halal Corporation Co. based in Tokyo and headed by Akmal Abu Hassan, 42, a Malaysian Muslim, is one of them. Since its foundation in 2010, the company has issued its own halal certificates for six hotels and eight restaurants in Japan, including Sumiyakiya, by examining whether their food, including seasonings and additives, is prepared in accordance with Islamic law, including the ways in which the ingredients are stored. Hotels certified by the firm also provide information about gqibla,h the direction of Mecca for prayers, as well as restaurants that serve halal food. Malaysia Halal Corporation, recognized as an internal auditor of halal by Malaysian and Indonesian government-affiliated bodies, conducts unannounced inspections for all the facilities it has issued certificates to once every two or three months to maintain quality. gPeople in Malaysia are aware (of the charms of) Japan, including its world heritage sites and culture, and are eager to visit here, but is it a place where (Muslim) foreigners can easily visit? No,h said Akmal, pointing out complaints from Muslim travelers that they ended up eating at Malaysian restaurants since they were unable to find halal Japanese food. gJapan should promote itself more aggressively by making its cuisine available for people opting for halal food,h he said, adding Japanese businesses can find new opportunities by exporting their food and cosmetics among other halal products to Islamic countries. Package tours targeting Muslim travelers have also proved popular. Osaka-based travel agency Miyako International Tourist Co. provides tours with Japanese Muslim tour conductors that include daily prayers and halal restaurants. Hideshi Matsui, a Japanese Muslim and president of the travel company, said single-use cups and plates are used at restaurants during the tours to avoid possible discomfort. Destinations are also carefully chosen as some tourists expressed disgust after visiting cherry blossom viewing sites where many local people were drinking alcohol, he said. gWithout understanding Muslim peoplefs way of life and their beliefs, we cannot gain understanding from them and it could even be dangerous,h said Matsui, adding such tours have received a number of reservations, even though their prices are set higher than average. |
Property Lifestyle Tokyo taps KL to boost Muslim tourism TOKYO: Japan is boosting efforts to attract more Muslim tourists and many of its companies are looking to Malaysia for help. An increasing number of Japanese tourism industry players are brushing up on Islamic practices and culture to tap the rapidly-growing Muslim travel market, reportedly worth RM390 billion last year. According to Japanfs Foreign Affairs Ministry Second Southeast Asia division director Naoki Kumagai, Malaysia is seen by many Japanese companies as a gateway to the lucrative Middle East market. gJapanese businesses find Malaysia a comfortable place to learn and invest, thanks to the relationship between the two countries as well as Malaysiafs status as a peaceful and stable Muslim nation,h he said, here, recently. Akmal Abu Hassan, a Malaysian entrepreneur based in Japan, has been at the forefront of efforts to help Japanese companies develop halal products and obtain halal certification. As the managing director of Malaysia Halal Corporation Co (MHC), Akmal has been hard at work explaining not only the requirements of halal food production but also introducing Islam to Japanese businessmen. gHalal food is not just about the method of slaughter (of meat) or avoiding alcohol, but also about ensuring good hygiene and safety. gIn that sense, Japanese businesses have an advantage since they already adopt a high standard in food preparation. gThe challenge is convincing them to include Islamic requirements and this involves explaining to them why those requirements are necessary,h he said recently. He said MHCfs motto is gHalal for Allh, which makes it clear that halal need not mean catering exclusively to Muslims but also includes the average Japanese consumer. He said the approach involves compromises while ensuring that religious requirements are heeded. gFor example, you cannot tell Japanese restaurants not to serve alcohol as drinking is an integral part of their lives. gBut we can tell them to use separate utensils and storage and halal ingredients so that Muslim customers feel safe dining in their establishments.h Akmal, who has lived in Japan for more than two decades, said MHC issues halal certification adapted from regulations developed by the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department. Hotel Granvia, Kyotofs top luxury hotel, last July became the first hotel in western Japan to be certified by MHC. In addition to halal menus at its restaurants, the hotel also prepares prayer mats for Muslim guests and can convert its banquet hall into a mass prayer facility if needed. Hotel Granviafs overseas marketing director Shiho Ikeuchi said she has since been flooded with enquiries from around the world, indicating the high demand for such facilities from Muslim travellers. The Japan National Tourism Organisation is also planning to create an official guidebook for Muslim tourists, listing halal restaurants and places of worship. |
Article from muslimvillage.com Japanese tourism now catering to Muslims Seeking new opportunities in a global market said to be worth over $600 billion, Japanese food and tourism businesses are turning their eyes to Muslim consumers and starting to offer food and other products and services that follow the Islamic rules of halal. In a dimly lit Japanese restaurant near Tokyofs Roppongi district, seven Muslim tourists from Malaysia gathered to enjoy gyakinikuh grilled meat that had been specially prepared and served according to Islamic Sharia law. For those reserving the halal fare at the restaurant in advance, halal beef placed in a separate freezer is served with plates and glasses that are kept in cupboards apart from other dishes to avoid direct and indirect contact with pork and other nonhalal food. Ahmad Khuzaimi Abdul Rashid, a tourist from Malaysia who visited the Sumiyakiya Nishiazabu eatery, said, gIf it were not for these restaurants, I would need to go for vegetarian or Malaysian foodh to be certain the food was halal, despite being keen to taste local Japanese cuisine. Halal means permitted or lawful according to Islamic Law, which forbids consuming flesh of swine and alcoholic drinks as well as charging and paying interest, among other things. In terms of meat, animals need to be properly slaughtered by following such procedures as severing veins in the neck with a sharp knife to minimize pain and reciting the name of God, or Allah. Sumiyakiya started offering halal yakiniku in March after obtaining a certificate from a halal consulting firm in Japan. Since then, the shop has been flooded with inquiries and seen the number of Muslim customers rise by 20 percent in about nine months. gJapanese are keeping their purse strings tight because of economic slowdown. On the other hand, affluent Muslim customers are ready to spend money on meals, but there arenft places for them to eat out. I think there are good business opportunities here,h said Roger Diaz, a 44-year-old native of Sri Lanka who heads the restaurant. According to the U.S. Halal Association, the total global Muslim population is estimated at 1.6 billion, or around 25 percent of the worldfs population, with the $632 billion halal food market accounting for 16 percent of the global food industry. The number of visitors to Japan from Indonesia, home to the biggest Muslim population in the world, as well as from Malaysia, where about 60 percent of the population is Muslim, jumped between 2003 and 2010, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. The JNTO says the number of Muslim travelers to Japan is generally on the rise, although official data on Muslims are not available. Seeing it as a business opportunity, some Japanese nonprofit organizations as well as private firms have started offering services assisting Japanese businesses to obtain halal accreditation. Malaysia Halal Corporation Co. based in Tokyo and headed by Akmal Abu Hassan, 42, a Malaysian Muslim, is one of them. Since its foundation in 2010, the company has issued its own halal certificates for six hotels and eight restaurants in Japan, including Sumiyakiya, by examining whether their food, including seasonings and additives, is prepared in accordance with Islamic law, including the ways in which the ingredients are stored. Hotels certified by the firm also provide information about gqibla,h the direction of Mecca for prayers, as well as restaurants that serve halal food. Malaysia Halal Corporation, recognized as an internal auditor of halal by Malaysian and Indonesian government-affiliated bodies, conducts unannounced inspections for all the facilities it has issued certificates to once every two or three months to maintain quality. gPeople in Malaysia are aware (of the charms of) Japan, including its world heritage sites and culture, and are eager to visit here, but is it a place where (Muslim) foreigners can easily visit? No,h said Akmal, pointing out complaints from Muslim travelers that they ended up eating at Malaysian restaurants since they were unable to find halal Japanese food. gJapan should promote itself more aggressively by making its cuisine available for people opting for halal food,h he said, adding Japanese businesses can find new opportunities by exporting their food and cosmetics among other halal products to Islamic countries. Package tours targeting Muslim travelers have also proved popular. Osaka-based travel agency Miyako International Tourist Co. provides tours with Japanese Muslim tour conductors that include daily prayers and halal restaurants. Hideshi Matsui, a Japanese Muslim and president of the travel company, said single-use cups and plates are used at restaurants during the tours to avoid possible discomfort. Destinations are also carefully chosen as some tourists expressed disgust after visiting cherry blossom viewing sites where many local people were drinking alcohol, he said. gWithout understanding Muslim peoplefs way of life and their beliefs, we cannot gain understanding from them and it could even be dangerous,h said Matsui, adding such tours have received a number of reservations, even though their prices are set higher than average. |
Article from TN Global Travel Industry News Japan boosting efforts to tap Muslim travel market Nov 04, 2013 TOKYO, Japan - Japan is boosting efforts to attract more Muslim visitors and many of its companies are looking to Malaysia for help. An increasing number of Japanese tourism industry players are brushing up on Islamic practices and culture to tap the rapidly-growing Muslim travel market, reportedly worth RM390 billion last year. According to Japanfs Foreign Affairs Ministry Second Southeast Asia division director Naoki Kumagai, Malaysia is seen by many Japanese companies as a gateway to the lucrative Middle East market. gJapanese businesses find Malaysia a comfortable place to learn and invest, thanks to the relationship between the two countries as well as Malaysiafs status as a peaceful and stable Muslim nation,h he said, here, recently. Akmal Abu Hassan, a Malaysian entrepreneur based in Japan, has been at the forefront of efforts to help Japanese companies develop halal products and obtain halal certification. As the managing director of Malaysia Halal Corporation Co (MHC), Akmal has been hard at work explaining not only the requirements of halal food production but also introducing Islam to Japanese businessmen. gHalal food is not just about the method of slaughter (of meat) or avoiding alcohol, but also about ensuring good hygiene and safety. gIn that sense, Japanese businesses have an advantage since they already adopt a high standard in food preparation. gThe challenge is convincing them to include Islamic requirements and this involves explaining to them why those requirements are necessary,h he said recently. He said MHCfs motto is gHalal for Allh, which makes it clear that halal need not mean catering exclusively to Muslims but also includes the average Japanese consumer. He said the approach involves compromises while ensuring that religious requirements are heeded. gFor example, you cannot tell Japanese restaurants not to serve alcohol as drinking is an integral part of their lives. gBut we can tell them to use separate utensils and storage and halal ingredients so that Muslim customers feel safe dining in their establishments.h Akmal, who has lived in Japan for more than two decades, said MHC issues halal certification adapted from regulations developed by the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department. Hotel Granvia, Kyotofs top luxury hotel, last July became the first hotel in western Japan to be certified by MHC. In addition to halal menus at its restaurants, the hotel also prepares prayer mats for Muslim guests and can convert its banquet hall into a mass prayer facility if needed. Hotel Granviafs overseas marketing director Shiho Ikeuchi said she has since been flooded with enquiries from around the world, indicating the high demand for such facilities from Muslim travellers. The Japan National Tourism Organisation is also planning to create an official guidebook for Muslim tourists, listing halal restaurants and places of worship. |
Highlighting Japan Issue 94 January 2016
Page 20-21
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