Halal Expo Japan
Staff Writer, Halal Incorp
Tokyo: Halal Expo Japan took place on the 22nd & 23rd of November at the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Centre. The event was themed ‘Halal For All’ and was opened for businesses as well as the general public. Our media partner Halal Expo Japan itself was supported by a multitude of entities such as Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) & Kinki District Transport Bureau (Local Branch of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry amongst others.
Background To Halal Expo Japan:
HALAL EXPO JAPAN 2016: included a Trade Fair of Halal products and services from domestic and overseas, and seminars featuring domestic and international corporate stakeholders, Halal Experts, local governments etc. under the theme of “Halal for All”.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan reached nearly 20 million in 2015 and the resulting economic effect has attracted a great deal of attention. The number of tourists from Southeast Asian countries and visitors from the predominantly Muslim countries of Malaysia and Indonesia, in particular, has been increasing significantly due to relaxed visa requirements, and numbers are expected to be bolstered further from the growing middle class in both countries.
At the same time Japanese food companies and service providers are becoming more interested in the Islamic countries as both inbound and outbound markets. In fact some food suppliers challenged export opportunities to the Islamic countries and are also interested in the Halal markets that are rapidly growing in Japan.
HALAL EXPO JAPAN 2016 aimed to contribute to the development of a Halal environment and the cultivation of Islamic markets by both domestic and international companies.
A diverse range of companies and businesses also exhibited at the expo. Amongst these was Brunei Darussalam which also delivered the Brunei Halal Business Seminar as an additional feature of the expo. Seven businesses and one higher education institution represented Brunei Darussalam at the Expo facilitated by the Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office. These businesses represented a range of different areas of the Halal sector such as food and pharmaceuticals, Islamic education, eco-tourism; modest fashion and cosmetics.
One of the highlights of the Halal expo in Japan was the Tokyo modest fashion section of the event. A variety of models displayed an array of modest Islamic clothing designs with vibrant colours and visual detail. The hijabs that were showcased in what is said to have been the first fashion show for Muslim women in Japan, were beautifully stunning and caught the attention of the viewing audience. Floral pattern designs were among the special features adorning long robe garments (abayas) and matching headscarves breaking barriers in Japanese society. The fashion showcase included around ten brands which were mainly from Singapore. Moslema in Style a leader in the modest fashion genre was the fashion show partner for the Halal expo event in Japan. There were more than 6,000 people who attended the expo, with 116 booths and 24 international exhibitors who travelled from six different countries.
