23 February 2023

QUICK THREE IMPORTANT UPDATES IN THE
CELLULAR AGRICULTURE FIELD IN JAPANINTRO
Hi this is Megumi, the Representative Director of the Japan Association for CellularAgriculture (JACA). I have a quick three important updates in the cellular agriculture field inJapan.
Prime Minister of Japan agreed that cultivated food technology is important
The official announcement of the vision of food-tech promotion and its roadmap byMAFF
Cultivated food in Japanese term used during the diet and the official document of theMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery (MAFF)

PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN AGREED THATCULTIVATED FOOD TECHNOLOGY IS IMPORTANT
Norihiro Nakayama, a Member of the House of Representatives and the Executive Directorof the Cellular Agriculture Parliamentary Group, and who has been a member of JACA aswell, was on the podium at the Diet to ask questions about cellular agriculture to theKishida administration. During the diet, there were positive comments on the potential ofthe industry, since Kishida Prime Minister agreed that cultivated food technology isimportant. His questions were also addressed to Katsunobu Kato (Minister of Health,Labour and Welfare), Taro Kono (Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety), and theMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. These ministers and the Ministry are allimportant for the future of cellular agriculture products in Japan.

SO WHAT WAS ACTUALLY DISCUSSED?
Comments from Prime Minister
Mr. Nakayama mentioned that seed cells are necessary to produce cultivated foods and thatexisting livestock brands in Japan will be a ”weapon" (it means that cells from branded food
could be a new business potential for the Japanese economy) in this regard. In this context,
he asked the Prime Minister about the prospects for the cultivated food industry and themarket.
Prime Minister Kishida responded that cultivated food is one of the technologies in foodtech, and he recognizes that it is an important technology from the perspective of realizing
a sustainable food supply.

For more information and for those who are interested in our organization to contribute to the policy
making and the dialogue with important stakeholders in Japan, please contact yoshitomi@jaca.jp

23 February 2023

Comments from Prime Minister (cont'd)Prime Minister Kishida also mentioned that, we must promote creating an environment for
new market creation and foster Japan-originated food tech businesses, through open
innovation and supporting startups, by the cooperation among relevant ministries andagencies such as MAFF, MHLW, and the Consumer Affairs Agency, as well as thearrangement of safety assurance measures and labeling rules. This is in order to support
activities to solve food (supply) problems in Japan and around the world, as well as todevelop the Japanese economy.
In response, Mr. Nakayama commented on the importance of Japan's involvement ininternational rules for cultivated foods.
Author's comment: Personally, I feel it is very important that the Prime Minister Kishidacommented that, in addition to MAFF and the Consumer Affairs Agency, the Ministry of Health,
Labor and Welfare should also contribute to the creation of new markets. As I continue dialogue
with Ministries, I have heard that the MHLW does not have the concept to promote the creationof new industries. I think it is important that Prime Minister Kishida himself encouraged them todo so.
Comments from Katsunobu Kato (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare)
Mr. Nakayama asked the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare about the concept of safetyfor foods that have no prior food consumption experience.
The Minister commented that the government would collect scientific knowledge on safety,
keep an eye on international trends overseas, and consider what action is necessary interms of food safety.
In response, Mr. Nakayama requested the Minister to make a commitment to theinternational standards to be discussed in the CODEX Committee and other bodies.
Comments from Taro Kono (Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety)
Mr. Nakayama stated that easy-to-understand food labeling for consumers is necessary, andrequested comments from Minister Kono on how cultivated foods should be labeled.
Minister Kono mentioned that cultivated foods are a technology with potential and that weneed to consider labeling rules that are easy for consumers to understand.
Author's comment: Personally, I thought this conversation needed to be done a little more
carefully. Because the Consumer Affairs Agency may be considering organizing the rules forcultivated food labeling under an interpretation within the scope of the current law, and in thatcase, emphasizing the need to create new rules may unnecessarily delay the domestic discussion
For more information and for those who are interested in our organization to contribute to the policy
making and the dialogue with important stakeholders in Japan, please contact yoshitomi@jaca.jp

23 February 2023

What the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said
The spokesperson of the Ministry briefly introduced the "vision of food-tech promotion andits roadmap" (brief translation of the title by the author), which was approved by "FoodTech public-private council", where JACA manages the secretariat of Cellular Agriculture
Working Team, and announced by MAFF on 21 Feb 2022.
The spokesperson also commented that they will indicate some kind of timeline for themarket launch rule arrangements for cultivated foods as soon as the safety, labeling, andother issues are coordinated.
Mr. Nakayama commented that the timeline should be decided, with the attention to actual
progress in the development of cultivated food.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE VISION OF FOODTECH PROMOTION AND ITS ROADMAP, BY THE
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, ANDFISHERY (MAFF)
MAFF announced on 21 Feb 2023 the vision of food-tech promotion and its roadmap,
which includes cultivated food as a section. Actually the discussion in the diet introduced
above was done because of the announcement of this roadmap and vision.
Although they haven't shown any clear timeline on by when they are to create theenvironment for this industry to start selling cultivated food in Japan, at least we areconfident that MAFF is positive about the promotion of cultivated food technology and its
rule-making.
We, JACA, have been helping MAFF to discuss the rule-making and the road map creationof cultivated food for the past several years, as we are the official secretariat of "Cellular
Agriculture Working Team" under the "Food-Tech public-private council " hosted by MAFF,
so we are glad about their announcement.

Photo taken at the Food-Tech public-private council hosted by MAFF. JACA was the official secretariat of "Cellular
Agriculture Working Team and voted for the approval of the vision of food-tech promotion and its roadmap

For more information and for those who are interested in our organization to contribute to the policy
making and the dialogue with important stakeholders in Japan, please contact yoshitomi@jaca.jp

23 February 2023

CULTIVATED FOOD IN JAPANESE TERM USEDDURING THE DIET AND THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT
OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY,AND FISHERY (MAFF)
Last but not least, currently the Japanese term for cultivated meat in governemtnal
documents such as the roadmap announced by MAFF and the term used during thediscussion in the diet ispronouced as "sai bou sei", cell-based).
In the industrial guideline and policy recommendation that JACA created and submitted tothe government on 30 November 2022, we recommended not to use
pronouced as"bai yo niku", sounds like Bionic, cultivated food in Japanese term and instead, use either"”, ""(cellular agriculture food), and "" (culturedfood in Katakana). We assume that MAFF respected our suggestion, and also theinternational discussion on the nomenclature usage by FAO and WHO.

細胞性食品（細胞性食品 細胞農業食品

培養肉（）
カルチャード食品

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, February 2023 will become one of the historic months for the cultivated foodmarket in Japan! The author of this article is the Representative Director of JACA. JACA isan industrial organization in Japan to consider rules for cultivated food, helping the creationof social consensus of how Japan needs to face this high-potential new technology, CellularAgriculture.

For more information and for those who are interested in our organization to contribute to the policy
making and the dialogue with important stakeholders in Japan, please contact yoshitomi@jaca.jp