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What Is Halal Wagyu? Wagyu Rules, Halal-Certified Meat Processing Plants, and What to Check When You Eat It

Published: October 13, 2026 / Last updated: October 24, 2026

Category: For visitors

Halal wagyu is wagyu processed at a halal-certified facility

Halal wagyu is beef from wagyu cattle processed according to Islamic rules at a halal-certified meat processing facility. It has two conditions: the cattle must be a breed that can be labeled “wagyu” (和牛), and the process must follow the Islamic way from slaughter onward.

As of the end of September 2026, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) materials list nine “halal-certified meat processing facilities for export (beef).” They are Honjo Shokuniku Center (meat processing center), Zenkairen Hitoyoshi Shokuniku Center (meat processing center), Habikino Municipal Nanshoku Meat Center, Hokkaido Chikusan Kosha’s Kitami Plant (livestock corporation), Sanda Shokuniku Center (meat processing center), Tokushima Municipal Meat Center, Kumamoto Chuo Shokuniku Center (meat processing center), SE Meat Miyazaki, and Nishi-Awa Beef. The table shows the number approved to export to each country requiring halal certification.

Export destinationNumber of approved facilities
Qatar9
United Arab Emirates (UAE)7
Bahrain6
Kuwait6
Indonesia4
Malaysia3
Saudi Arabia3

One of the four facilities for Indonesia is Zenkairen Hitoyoshi Shokuniku Center. The materials note that it needs to obtain approval again.

This is a list of facilities that can be used for exports. It does not tell you where halal wagyu served at restaurants in Japan was processed. We discuss how to check when eating it later in this article.

We checked this article’s information on October 13, 2026, using published materials from MAFF, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the National Livestock Breeding Center (NLBC).

Only four breeds can be labeled “wagyu”

First, let us establish what “wagyu” (和牛) covers. According to the Tokyo Shibaura Meat Sanitary Inspection Station, only four breeds can be labeled wagyu: Japanese Black (黒毛和種), Japanese Brown (褐毛和種), Japanese Shorthorn (日本短角種), and Japanese Polled (無角和種). Crosses between wagyu and dairy cattle cannot be labeled wagyu. The explanation cites the Fair Competition Code as its basis.

Halal wagyu must also be one of these four breeds. A label saying only “halal-certified beef” does not tell you the breed. You need to check that separately to find out whether it is wagyu.

A useful clue is the cattle identification number (個体識別番号). Under MAFF’s beef traceability system, businesses selling beef and restaurants serving yakiniku (焼肉), shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ), sukiyaki (すき焼き), or steak (ステーキ) must display the animal’s identification number. It has 10 digits. Entering it in the NLBC’s “Cattle Individual Identification Information Search Service” shows the cattle type, sex, date of birth, and places where it was raised.

However, the number gives information about the animal itself. This search does not show which facility slaughtered it or whether the processing was halal-certified. To check the method, look at the restaurant’s explanation and certification documents.

Conditions for meat to be halal

Whether meat is halal is not determined by the animal’s species alone. Quran 5:3, in Ryoichi Mita’s Japanese translation, lists prohibited things including carrion, flowing blood, pork, animals killed in a name other than Allah’s, and animals killed by strangling or beating. Quran 6:121 says not to eat anything over which Allah’s name has not been pronounced. Cattle are not prohibited animals, but as the references to strangling and beating show, the slaughter method can make their meat impermissible to eat.

The “Guide for Exporting Halal Food,” prepared under a MAFF-commissioned project and updated in April 2018, also lists meat from animals not slaughtered in the Islamic way among ingredients that cannot be consumed. It gives pronouncing Allah’s name before slaughter as an example of a slaughter rule. Animal blood and carrion appear in the same table.

The same guide warns that even a halal-certified slaughterhouse may produce meat that is not accepted as halal. One example is when stunning, which renders an animal unconscious before slaughter, depresses its skull. The treatment of stunning differs by country. In the guide’s comparison table, the UAE may allow stunning using specified voltages or blows to the head that do not damage the skull.

Destination countries may set slaughter methods in standards. According to JETRO’s explanation, the meat hygiene certificate for beef exported to Saudi Arabia certifies compliance with halal food standard GSO 2055-1 and slaughter standard GSO 993, “Requirements for Animal Slaughtering According to Islamic Rules.”

Halal-certified meat processing facilities in Japan

The nine facilities at the start appear in MAFF’s “Locations of Halal-Certified Meat Processing Facilities for Export (Beef).” The same materials also list facilities approved for the United States and the EU, such as Wagyu Master Shokuniku Center (meat processing center) in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, and Hida Shokuniku Center (meat processing center) in Gifu Prefecture. There are 17 facilities for the United States and 14 for the EU, in lists separate from the halal-certified facilities. Even large facilities in wagyu-producing areas are not necessarily halal-certified.

There are also arrangements for certification bodies to check slaughter on site. According to the guide mentioned above, Japan Islamic Trust (JIT) always sends an Islamic law auditor when inspecting the slaughter process for meat halal certification.

Some export destinations also regulate which bodies may issue certification. According to JETRO’s explanation, based on research as of December 2024, facilities handling beef exported to Saudi Arabia need approval from a body issuing halal slaughter certificates and registration with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) as a beef export facility. When applying, facilities attach documents showing that they can obtain halal certification from an issuing body registered with the Saudi government.

Japan was allowed to begin exporting beef to Kuwait in September 2025. According to MAFF’s announcement, Kuwait requires export facilities to be approved for a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member country and certified by a specified body issuing halal slaughter certificates. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) checks both conditions and notifies the Kuwaiti authorities of facilities meeting them. Exports can then be made from those facilities. For Kuwait, both facility approval and halal certification are needed. The halal slaughter certificate accompanying the beef must be from an issuing body recognized either by the Gulf Accreditation Center (GAC) and the government authority of one GCC member country, or by the government authorities of two GCC member countries.

Countries also differ in which certification bodies they recognize. Based on the destination countries’ official lists, we explain which Japanese bodies Malaysia and Indonesia recognize and whether that recognition covers slaughter in Is Japanese Halal Certification Recognized in Malaysia and Indonesia? Checking Those Countries’ Official Lists.

Halal wagyu within beef exports

Let us also look at overall beef export figures. According to MAFF’s “Exports of Livestock Products (October 2026),” livestock product exports totaled 117.3 billion yen in 2025. Beef accounted for 73.1 billion yen, about 60% of the total. Beef export volume was 12,628 metric tons. Compared with the previous year, value was 113% and volume was 117%. From January through August 2026, exports totaled 51.8 billion yen and 9,135 metric tons, reaching 119% in value and 123% in volume compared with the same period a year earlier.

The government aims for beef exports worth 113.2 billion yen in 2030. The same materials list Malaysia, Indonesia, the UAE, and Kuwait among beef export destinations, alongside Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States, the EU, and others.

However, these materials do not show how much of the reported exports went to countries requiring halal certification. In terms of approved facilities, there are 88 for Thailand and 79 for Macao. Among countries requiring halal certification, Qatar has the most, at nine. Halal-certified facilities therefore remain only part of the facilities that can export beef.

What to check when eating it in Japan

When eating halal wagyu at a restaurant in Japan, asking about three areas makes the conversation quicker: the meat, cooking, and seasoning. What matters to people differs. The Japan Tourism Agency’s guide also says interpretations and practice differ by individual. If you are eating with someone, asking what they avoid first helps narrow down the questions for the restaurant.

First, the meat. Ask which body certified it as halal and where it was processed. The guide’s Reference Volume reports a December 2023 survey of 224 Muslims. For “meat slaughtered in the Islamic way is used in the dish,” 138 people (62%) said they “always check, and do not consume it if they cannot confirm.” At yakiniku or steak restaurants, the cattle identification number can also tell you the breed. If recognition by your home country matters to you, asking for the certification body’s name lets you check later.

Second, cooking. Even if the meat is halal, some people are concerned if it is grilled on the same grill rack or griddle as pork, or fried in the same oil. At a yakiniku restaurant, ask whether pork is on the menu and whether the grill rack or griddle can be changed. We give examples of how to ask in “Is It Halal?” Is Not Enough: How to Ask When Checking at a Restaurant.

Third, seasoning. Mirin (みりん) or cooking sake (料理酒) may be used in sukiyaki cooking sauce (割下), yakiniku sauce (焼肉のたれ), or the simmering liquid for beef bowls (牛丼). The Japan Tourism Agency’s guide places mirin in the alcoholic drink category. In the survey above, 116 people (52%) gave the same answer for seasonings containing alcohol, such as cooking sake and mirin. We explain alcohol in each seasoning in Are Soy Sauce, Mirin, Miso, and Vinegar Halal? Checking the Ingredients of Japanese Seasonings for Alcohol.

What Does “Muslim-Friendly” Mean? How It Differs from Halal Certification, and Standards That Vary by Who Uses the Label explains that the standards behind a restaurant’s labels differ depending on who uses them. A restaurant advertising “halal wagyu” (ハラル和牛) is not necessarily halal-certified as a whole. It may serve certified meat while describing the restaurant itself as Muslim-friendly.

If you buy halal wagyu to cook at home, you choose the utensils and seasonings yourself, so the main thing to check is the meat. The beef traceability system also requires beef sellers to display cattle identification numbers. You can check the breed using the number on a store display or label. For halal certification, look for the certification body’s name on the label or product page.

Processed foods such as hamburger steaks (ハンバーグ), croquettes (コロッケ), and curry (カレー) need to be considered separately from halal wagyu, even if they contain beef. For ingredients such as beef tallow (牛脂) or beef extract (牛肉エキス), the ingredient name alone does not reveal how the animal was slaughtered. We explain how to read “origin” (由来) statements on ingredient lists in Are Emulsifiers and Gelatin Halal? What the “Origin” (由来) Wording on Ingredient Lists Tells You.

For restaurants wanting to serve halal wagyu

To serve halal wagyu, a restaurant first needs meat processed at a halal-certified facility. When buying it, ask the supplier whether it can provide documents identifying the certification body and processing facility. Having those documents to refer to makes it easier to answer customers’ questions.

Yakiniku and steak restaurants must display cattle identification numbers under the beef traceability system. Adding the halal certification body’s name alongside the number lets you communicate both the breed and processing information.

Utensils and seasonings need to be considered separately from the meat. If you handle pork, one approach is to state on the menu whether grill racks, griddles, and tongs are separate, and whether sauces use mirin or sake (酒). For how to list ingredients, see How to List Ingredients on Your Menu: Clear Information for Muslim Customers, Even Without Halal Certification.

As compared in How Much Does Halal Certification Cost? A Breakdown, and Ways to Serve Muslim Customers Without It, obtaining halal certification for the restaurant itself involves annual fees, application fees for assessment, and audit costs. You need to weigh that cost and work when deciding whether to obtain it.

Halal Gohan lists information about halal options free of charge. Restaurants serving halal wagyu can apply through our business listing application, including details about the meat’s certification and how utensils are separated.

Quotes from Japanese sources in this article are our own translations.

Sources

Primary sources

Secondary sources

  • MAFF Food Industry Affairs Bureau (Export Promotion Division), commissioned to Accenture, “Guide for Exporting Halal Food” (ハラール食品輸出に向けた『手引き』) (in Japanese), fiscal 2017 Export Strategy Implementation Project, updated April 2018 (PDF pp. 9, 12, 17, and 26). The materials state that they do not represent MAFF’s views, checked on October 13, 2026
    https://www.maff.go.jp/j/shokusan/export/attach/pdf/Halal-Kosher-6.pdf

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