Guide · Food
Japan food allergy card: the 9 mandatory allergens
Cashew joins Japan's mandatory allergen list in the April 2026 update, making nine items. The English card is below; Japanese text follows a native check.
Japan’s mandatory allergen list holds nine items once cashew is counted: shrimp or prawn, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut and cashew. The Consumer Affairs Agency recorded the cashew addition in its April 2026 update, and the older eight-item list becomes nine. The enforcement date and transition period are not confirmed, so do not assume every packaged item already declares cashew. The English card is below; Japanese text is added after a native-speaker check.
Which allergens does Japan make mandatory?
Nine, once cashew is added to the earlier eight. The agency shows its list as an image, not text, so we built the nine from the earlier eight on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government page and the agency’s cashew update. That page still lists eight, with cashew among its recommended items, so a guide that lists eight may predate the change.
| Allergen | Japanese term |
|---|---|
| Shrimp or prawn | Pending native check |
| Crab | Pending native check |
| Walnut | Pending native check |
| Wheat | Pending native check |
| Buckwheat | Pending native check |
| Egg | Pending native check |
| Milk | Pending native check |
| Peanut | Pending native check |
| Cashew | カシューナッツ |
The Japanese column is filled only where the agency’s page shows the term, and that is cashew nut alone. The other eight terms wait for a native-speaker check, because a wrong character on an allergy card is a safety risk.
What changed, and what is still unconfirmed?
Two additions matter for the list you carry.
- Walnut: added to the mandatory list on 9 March 2023, per the Tokyo Metropolitan Government page.
- Cashew: the agency’s update dated April 2026 adds cashew as a mandatory specified ingredient. Cashew had sat on the recommended list before. The page’s line reads 特定原材料として、カシューナッツを追加, which means cashew nut added as a specified ingredient. The agency dates it Reiwa 8 in the Japanese era calendar, and Reiwa 8 is 2026.
When the cashew rule is enforced and how long any transition lasts are not confirmed, and which packaged products already declare cashew is not found. Until it is clear, treat a packaged item without a cashew declaration as unconfirmed, not as proof it is cashew-free.
The agency also keeps a longer recommended list. Macadamia joined it on 28 March 2024, when matsutake mushroom was removed; the full current list was not read. The two lists differ in what a label must do.
| Aspect | Mandatory list | Recommended list |
|---|---|---|
| Items | Nine with cashew | Longer; full current list not read |
| Labelling | Required on packaged food | Encouraged, not required |
| Changes | Walnut 2023, cashew 2026 | Macadamia added 2024 |
Where does the rule apply?
The mandatory list applies to packaged food labels. We did not find what it requires of restaurant meals, so do not assume a menu or a waiter will list allergens.
How do you use the card?
Use the table as a checklist.
- Mark your allergens in the table and keep the English list on your phone.
- On packaged food, find the allergen declaration on the label and compare it with the list. The agency’s page writes cashew nut as カシューナッツ, so that string is the first to look for.
- At a restaurant, tell staff your allergens before you order. At an inn, send them with the booking.
- If you react to something outside the nine, such as fish, ask about it by name. The nine-item list does not include it.
- When the Japanese card text is published, show that text, not the English list, to staff.
Safety Show the card before you order, not after the dish arrives. A packaged item with no cashew declaration is unconfirmed, not proof that it is cashew-free.
Which everyday ingredients carry a listed allergen?
Soy sauce contains wheat, which is on the list, and plain dashi is fish stock, which is not.
| Ingredient | What to assume |
|---|---|
| Soy sauce | Contains wheat |
| Plain dashi | Fish stock |
Soy sauce matters if you avoid wheat. Ask about fish stock by name, since the mandatory list is silent on fish. Both rows come from secondary guides, not an official page.
Where next?
Crab is on the list, so read Sapporo crab hotpot before you book a crab meal. Every culture page is in the Culture hub, and the culture guide gives the overview.
Questions
Yes. The Consumer Affairs Agency's notice of 1 April 2026 adds cashew as a mandatory specified ingredient. The enforcement date and transition period for labels are not confirmed, so some packaged items may not declare it yet.
Nine with cashew: shrimp or prawn, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut and cashew. The older list had eight. The agency shows its list as an image, so we derived the nine from the earlier eight plus cashew.
The mandatory list applies to packaged food labels, and a restaurant duty is not found. Tell staff your allergens before you order.
Only partly. The English list is below, with the one Japanese term the agency's page shows, for cashew. The full Japanese card text is added after a native speaker checks it.
Secondary travel guides say yes, and wheat is on the mandatory list. Ask about sauces and marinades before you order.