1 
 <Draft>  
<Interim translation>  
 
○ Notice on Establishing Labeling Standards for  Manufacturing Process and Quality of 
Wine , etc (National Tax Agency Notice No. ●) 
 
Pursuant to the provisions of  Article 86 -6, paragraph (1)  of Act Concerning Liquor 
Business Associations and Measures for securing Revenue from Liquor Tax  (Act No. 7 of 
1953; hereinafter referred to as “Act” ), this notice is issued under the provisions of 
Article 86 -6, paragraph (2) o f the Act to the effect that the labeling standards for 
manufacturing process and quality of wine shall be established as follows,  applicable  to 
the wine and fruit wine  (excluding what is the subject of application of the provisions 
referred to in  Article 28 -3, paragraph (1) or Article 29, paragraph (1) of the Liquor Tax 
Act) which are shipped out of the manufacturing site of liquor or which are accepted 
from bonded areas on or after (Date)  (including the place which is considered as the 
manufacturi ng site having been granted the license to manufacture liquor pursuant to 
the provisions of Article 28, paragraph (6) or Article 28 -3, paragraph (4) of the Liquor 
Tax Act (Act No. 6 of 1953)) , or the wine and sweet  wine which  are carried out from the 
point  of sale for liquor.  
Date:  
Commissioner of the National Tax Agency:  
 
 
Labeling Standards for Manufacturing Process and Quality of Wine ,etc 
 
(1) Definitions  
The terms listed below shall have the meanings defined in each of the following 
items : 
(i) “Domestically produced wine” shall mean the wine as provided in Article 3, item 
(xiii) of the Liquor Tax Act and the sweet wine  as provided  in the same Article, 
item (xiv) (hereinafter referred to as “Wine, etc.) which are manufactured in 
Japan (including the m ixture of Wine, etc. between the same classes of liquor ; the 
same applies hereinafter)  (excluding imported wine) ; 
(ii) “Raw materials” shall mean the ingredients listed in Article 3, items (xiii) and 
(xiv) of the Liquor Tax Act , and the Wine, etc. having been mixed;  
(iii) “Japanese wine” shall mean the domestically produced wine which falls under 
the wine listed in Article 3, item (xiii), (a) to (c) of the Liquor Tax Act (excluding 
the wine which uses water as an ingredient) and which uses only the grapes 
having  been  harvested in Japan as the fruit of ingredient; and  2 
 (iv) “Imported wine” shall mean the Wine, etc. having been accepted from the 
bonded areas  (refers to the bonded areas as provided  in Article 29 of the Customs 
Act (Act No. 61 of 1954 ))  (including the Win e, etc. which, after being accepted, are 
refilled to be sold) . 
 
(2) Matters to be indicated  
The following matters shall be indicated as per listed respectively in each of the 
items below on the c ontainer  or package of Wine, etc. 
(i) Japanese wine  
For Japanese wine, indicate “Japanese wine .” 
(ii) Name s of raw materials  
Domestically produced wine shall have the following raw materials indicated in 
the order of usage, as per listed respectively in each of the items  below.  
(a) Fruit  
Indicate the name of the fruit (excluding concentrated juice; the same 
applies hereinafter in this paragraph ). 
When using three or more kinds of fruit, the name of the fruit ranking 
third  and below may be indicated as “other fruit .” 
(b) Concentrated juice  
Indicate the concentrated juice having been diluted as “ reconstituted  ○○ 
juice ,” and the concentrated juice not having been diluted as “concentrate d 
○○ juice .” In doing so, indicate the name of the fruit for “○○ .” 
When using the concentrated juice of three or more kinds of fruit, the name 
of the concentrated  juice of fruit with the usage of the third rank or below 
may be indicated as  “reconstituted  other fruit” or “concentrate d other 
fruit .” 
(c) Imported wine  
Indica te as “imported wine .” 
(d) Domestically produced wine  
Consider  the raw materials having been used for domestically produced 
wine as the raw materials and indicate pursuant to  the provisions of ( a) to 
(c). 
(iii) Name of the origin of the raw materials  
For domestically produced wine, indicate the name of the origin of the raw 
materials  listed in the preceding item, (a) and ( b) (including the case of 
indicating the raw materials of the same item, (a) and ( b) as provided in  the 
same  item , (d)) as “made in Japan” or “ foreign -made ”; provided, however, that 
prefectural names and other geographical names can be used in place of “made 
in Japan ,” and the name of the country of origin can be indicated in place of 3 
 “foreign -made ,” respectively.  
With respect to the i ndications of the i mported wine having been  used as a raw 
material (including the case of indicating the raw materials of the same item , (c) 
pursuant to  the same item , (d)) according to the preceding  item , (c), the name of 
the country of origin (refers to the name of the country of the origin to be 
indicated for import declaration as provided in Article 59, paragraph (1) of the 
Customs Order (Order No. 150 of 1954) ; the same applies hereinafter) may be 
indicated as well.  
(iv) Name of country of origin  
For imported wine, indicate the name of the country  of origin  of said imported 
wine.  
 
(3) Indication of use of certain raw materials  
For domestically produced wine (excluding the wine for which fruit other than 
grapes was used as the fruit of ingredient; the same applies in paragraphs ( 5) to (7)), 
the indications listed in each of the following items shall be made  on the side 
showing th e main trademar k of the container or package  (refers to the trademark as 
provided  in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Trademark Act (Act No. 127 of 1959) ; the 
same applies hereinafter)  in add ition to the preceding paragraphs : 
(i) If concentrate d juice is used as raw materials, indicate “concentrated juice used” 
to show the use of concentrated juice; and  
(ii) If imported wine is used as raw materials, indicate “imported wine used ” to show 
the use of imported wine . 
 
(4) Indication of use of fruit other than grapes  
For domestically produced wine which uses fruit other than grapes as the fruit of 
ingredient, make  an indication , in addition to paragraph ( 2), to show  the use of fruit 
other than grapes as the fruit of ingredient  on the side showing the main trademark 
of the container or package . 
 
(5) Indication of the geographical name  
When indicating the geographical name on domestically  produced wine, the 
indications under  paragraph ( 2), item (iii) may be made, and only in the case of 
Japanese wine, the geographical names listed below can be indicated on the 
container or package of the wine:  
(i) When the grapes used as ingredients consist of at least 85% of the grapes 
harvested in the same harvesting area, the geographical name whic h includes 
said harvesting area (if there is no brewery within the scope shown by the 
geographical name indicated, indicate the geographical name in a manner which 4 
 allows for the recognition that it is the geographical name which includes a 
harvesting area  of grapes, such as “Uses grapes from ○○.” In doing so, write 
down the geographical name of the harvesting area of said grapes for “○○” ); 
and 
(ii) The geographical name which includes a brewery (indicate the geographical 
name in a manner which allows for the recognition that it is the geographical 
name which includes a brewery, and separately for the recognition that it is not 
the geographical name wh ich includes a harvesting area of grapes).  
 
(6) Indication of the type of grapes  
With respect to the name of the type of grapes which are used as ingredients for 
domestically produced wine, the name of the type of said grapes may be indicated on 
the contai ner or package only for the grapes listed below and only if the total usage of 
the type of grapes indicated constitutes at least 85%. In this case , the indication on 
the Appended Form as provided  in paragraph ( 8), item (i) is allowed  only with 
respect to Japanese wine:  
(i) Name of the type of grapes with the most usage;  
(ii) Name  of the types of grapes with the top two most usage (indicated in descending  
order of usage); and  
(iii) Name of the types of grapes with the top three most usage  (for each type, also 
indicate the ratio of usage respectively and make them appear in descending 
order).  
 
(7) Indication of the harvest year of the grapes  
The harvest year of the grapes which were used as ingredients in domestically 
produced wine can be indicated on  the container or package only for Japanese wine 
and only if the usage of the grapes which were harvested in the harvest year 
indicated constitutes at least 85% of the grapes used . 
 
(8) Method of indication, etc.  
The matters indicated by the provisions of paragraph ( 2), and the classes  of liquor, 
name of the manufacturer of liquor, location of the manufacturing site, volume of the 
container, alcohol content, etc. to be indicated pursuant to the provisions of Article 
86-5 of the Act shall  be indicated as follows.  
(i) Method of indication  
The Appended Form  shall be used for indication; provided, however, that it is 
allowable to make indications collectively in a manner which is equally as easy to 
understand as the Appended Form . 
(ii) Font to be used  for indication   5 
 Indication  (excluding the classes of lipuor)  shall use a n 8 point size font ( refers to  
the point provided in the Japanese Industrial Standards Z 8305 (1962); the same 
applies hereinafter) or a larger font of coherent Japanese characters ; provided, 
however, that for a container with a capacity of 200 ml or less, it is allowable to 
use a 6 point size font or larger.  
 
(9) Labeling under  paragraph (3) shall use coherent Japanese characters of a 10.5 point 
size font or a larger font of a coherent size; provided, however, that for a container 
with a capacity of 360 ml or less, it is allowable to use a 7.5 point size font or larger.  
 
Appended  Form  (relate d to paragraph (8)) 
Japanese wine  
Item  
Name s of raw materials (name of 
origin of raw materials)  
Manufacturer  
Capacity  
Alcohol content  
Name of country of origin  
 
Remarks  
1. If it falls under Japanese wine, indicate “Japanese wine .” 
2. If it is a Wine, etc. of sparkling type (limited to a Wine, etc. with the alcohol content 
of less than 10% ), indicate the items of liquor, followed by the mention that it is of 
sparkling type and the category of classification of tax rate. Items of liquor may be 
omitted if the indications are made on the side of the container or package where the 
main trademark is shown . 
3. Name of origin of raw materials shall be indicated in parenthesis after the name s of 
the raw materials.  
4. The name of the manufacturer of liquor and the locatio n of the manufacturing site, 
etc. shall be indicated as “Manufacturer ,” etc. The indication  shall conform to  the 
provisions of the Food Labeling Act (Act No. 70 of 2013) . 
5. The capacity of a container shall be indicated as “Capacity .” The capacity may be 
omitted if the indications are made on the side bearing the main trademark along 
with the classes  of liquor.  
6. Texts may be written vertically in t his Form . 
7. In addition to the indications listed in this Form , the matters which  must be 
indicated pursuant to the Food Labeling Act and other laws, and the appropriate 
matters which contribute to consumers’ choices may be indicated within the frame.  6 
 8. If it is difficult to make indications within the frame of the Form , the frame may be  
omitted.  
9. The items to be indicated after the indication of “Japanese wine” may appear  in any 
order.  
 
Supplementary P rovisions  
The provisions of this notice shall not apply to the indications for the container or 
package for Wine, etc. to be made before the date of application of this public notice.