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Japan Allergen List 2026: 9 Mandatory Items vs 17 Countries

Daiki KobayashiDaiki Kobayashi · Founder of WE TABLE
Updated · 5 min read
Reviewed by WE TABLE registered dietitian

This page is based on research WE TABLE’s registered dietitian has carried out since 2025, checked against primary sources with help from AI (Claude). It is still being updated. Please don’t rely on it alone: always check with the restaurant and your doctor before you eat. If you spot a mistake or have a question, please contact WE TABLE at any time.

WE TABLE RESEARCH · Allergen label chartBETA

1Choose a country

2ResultUpdates for the country you choose

RequiredOptionalJapan has two levels

The 9 required allergens (officially “mandatory,” 義務) are always shown if present. For the 20 optional ones (officially “recommended,” 推奨), such as soy, sesame, almond, salmon and mackerel, the maker decides whether to show them. No label does not mean it is not there. If you are allergic to one of them, read the ingredient list and ask the maker or the restaurant.

None 0Partial 6Match 39 items

United States
Japan
Milk
Partial
乳milkRequiredJapan’s 乳 (milk) means cow’s milk. Goat or sheep milk may not be shown
Eggs
Match
卵eggRequired
Fish
Partial
さけsalmonOptionalさばmackerelOptionalOther fish (tuna, cod, bonito and others) are not shown
Crustacean shellfish
Partial
えびshrimpRequiredかにcrabRequiredMantis shrimp and krill are not shown
Tree nuts
Partial
くるみwalnutRequiredカシューナッツcashewRequiredアーモンドalmondOptionalマカダミアナッツmacadamiaOptionalピスタチオpistachioOptionalHazelnut, pecan, Brazil nut and pine nut are not shown. Until March 31, 2028, some products may not list cashew
Peanuts
Match
落花生peanutRequired
Wheat
Match
小麦wheatRequired
Soybeans
Partial
大豆soyOptionalOptional in Japan, so it may be present even if not listed
Sesame
Partial
ごまsesameOptionalOptional in Japan, so it may be present even if not listed

Restaurants: this chart covers packaged food only. Restaurants in Japan don't have to show allergens. Always ask.

How to read the chart

The left box lists the allergens your country requires on packaged food, in your country’s own wording and order. The right box shows how Japanese packaged food labels them.

  • Match (gray): Japan always shows it too. Look for this Japanese word on the label.
  • Partial (light red): Japan shows only part of it, or labeling is optional, so it may be missing. Read the red note.
  • None (red): Japanese allergen labels don’t show it. Read the ingredient list or ask.

A Required tag means Japan always shows it when present (officially “mandatory,” 義務). Optional means the maker decides whether to show it (officially “recommended,” 推奨), so it may be missing.

A woodblock triptych of a foreign trading house in Yokohama in 1861. On the right, a Western shopkeeper uses gestures to talk with a Japanese customer in a striped kimono
A Yokohama trading house in 1861. On the right, a Western shopkeeper uses gestures to talk with a Japanese customer. Utagawa Sadahide, Foreign Business Establishment in Yokohama (1861). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. CC0. Source

Japan’s allergen list (2026)

Items On the label
Required (9, “mandatory”) Shrimp, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut, cashew Always shown when present
Optional (20, “recommended”) Almond, abalone, squid, salmon roe, orange, kiwifruit, beef, sesame, salmon, mackerel, soy, chicken, banana, pistachio, pork, macadamia, peach, yam (yamaimo), apple, gelatin Optional, so it may be missing

Cashew became mandatory on April 1, 2026. Until March 31, 2028, some products may still not list it. Pistachio joined the recommended list on the same day. For the difference between mandatory and recommended, and the ways of selling food that have no labeling duty, see Japan’s allergen labeling rules.

How to read allergens on a Japanese food label

Look for 原材料名 (ingredients). Japanese labels show allergens in one of two ways:

  • All together at the end, in brackets: 「（一部に小麦・乳成分・卵を含む）」 means “contains wheat, milk and egg.”
  • After each ingredient: 「しょうゆ（小麦・大豆を含む）」 means “soy sauce (contains wheat and soy).”

Words to look for, with spellings you may also see:

Allergen On the label Other spellings
Wheat 小麦 こむぎ, コムギ
Buckwheat そば ソバ
Egg 卵 玉子, たまご, タマゴ, エッグ, 鶏卵, あひる卵, うずら卵
Milk 乳成分 ミルク, バター, バターオイル, チーズ, アイスクリーム
Peanut 落花生 ピーナッツ
Shrimp えび 海老, エビ
Crab かに 蟹, カニ
Walnut くるみ クルミ
Cashew カシューナッツ

When allergens are listed after each ingredient, an allergen may appear only as part of an ingredient name, such as 小麦粉 (wheat flour) or 厚焼玉子 (rolled omelet). In the all-together format, every allergen is listed in the brackets. Warnings like 「本品製造工場では〜を含む製品を生産しています」 (“made in a factory that also handles …”) are voluntary in Japan. No warning doesn’t mean there is no risk of cross-contact. How recommended items can hide inside the names of compound ingredients and additives is explained in hidden allergens on Japanese food labels.

These rules cover packaged food. When you order in a restaurant, see how to explain food allergies at restaurants in Japan. To see which other foods to watch with a given allergen, use the food allergy cross-reactivity chart.

The data on this page is published as allergen_map.json under CC BY 4.0 (credit: WE TABLE).

Read next

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Questions people ask

Which allergens must be labeled in Japan in 2026?

Nine: shrimp, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut and cashew. Cashew became mandatory on April 1, 2026, with a transition period until March 31, 2028. Twenty more are only recommended, so labeling them is optional.

Is gluten labeled on food in Japan?

Only partly. Wheat is always labeled, but barley, rye and oats are not allergen label items. Check the ingredient list for barley tea, barley miso, beer and similar foods.

What does 「一部に〜を含む」 mean on a Japanese label?

It means “contains … among its ingredients.” Many products list their allergens together in brackets at the end of the ingredient list, for example 「（一部に小麦・乳成分・卵を含む）」, which means the product contains wheat, milk and egg.

Are soy and sesame labeled in Japan?

Both are only recommended. Many products show them, but leaving them off is legal. If you are allergic, read the ingredient list and ask the maker.

What are “specified ingredients” on Japanese food labels?

It is the legal name for the 9 allergens that must be labeled in Japan: shrimp, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut and cashew. The 20 recommended items are called “items equivalent to specified ingredients.”

Sources

  1. Consumer Affairs Agency, Japan: Food allergy labeling
  2. US FDA: Food Allergies (the 9 major allergens)
  3. EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex II (14 allergens)
  4. European Commission notice on allergen information (2017/C 428/01)
  5. UK Food Standards Agency: Allergen guidance for food businesses
  6. Health Canada: Food Allergen Labelling
  7. FSANZ: Allergen labelling for consumers
  8. Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety: 2018 amendment of the food labeling standards (allergens)
  9. Food Safety Commission of Japan: shrimp and crab allergy fact sheet