UK and Japanese booze suppliers are toasting an agreement that will mutually recognise organic standards for alcoholic drinks.
The agreement, announced today (15 September) and set to come into effect on 1 October, will extend the UK and Japan’s organic equivalency arrangement to cover beer, wine and spirits for the first time.
British booze exporters will see requirements for dual organic certification eliminated, while Japanese alcoholic beverages including shochu, wine, and sake will also be able to be imported more easily into the UK.
The move would “slash lengthy administrative processes and fees for exporters” and allow British alcohol brands to take advantage of “an already thriving UK-Japan trade partnership”, said Defra, which brokered the deal with Japan’s Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and National Tax Agency (NTA).
Japan represented a “golden opportunity” for British bestsellers like “organic English sparkling wine, organic whisky and gin from Scotland, and organic Welsh beer”, Defra noted.
The country’s alcoholic drinks market was worth an estimated three trillion yen annually, it added.
“Today’s agreement removes trade barriers to one of the world’s most lucrative markets and raises a glass to the strong trading partnership between Britain and Japan,” said minister for food security and rural affairs Angela Eagle.
“People around the world know the exceptional quality of British food and drink. We are cutting red tape and opening markets so producers can export even more.”
Lee Holdstock, head of regulatory & trade affairs at Soil Association Certification, added: “We welcome the news that UK-Japan trade arrangements have taken a notable step forward.
“Inspected and certified to rigorous standards, we know that trusted British organic products from high-integrity British businesses remain attractive for consumers in Asia markets.
“The extension of arrangements is anticipated to benefit organic alcohol producers in particular, who should now find accessing the Japanese market more straightforward.”
Japan was the UK’s 14th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025, accounting for 1.7% of total UK trade, according to ONS figures.
Total UK exports to Japan amounted to £16.1bn, while Japanese imports to the UK were valued at £15.0bn.
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