As part of an international movement to showcase Malaysia's largest halal expo, Halfest Malaysia, Japan kicked off Halfest Tokyo at the Tokyo Ryutsu Center, in Ota Ward, from Nov. 27 to 29 under the theme "Gateway to Japan Halal Food Market."

The expo hosted 95 halal-certified small- and medium-size enterprises from Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and China at 101 booths and drew about 7,000 patrons over the three days.

Products and services displayed ranged from foods, beverages, nutrition supplements, cosmetics, information technology services and tourism to financial services and products. Attendees included buyers and travel agencies from both in and outside Japan, Muslim buyers in Japan, domestic and overseas restaurants and hotels and various halal-related companies.

This halal initiative by Shapers Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., the founder of the prestigious Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), World Halal Summit and Halfest Malaysia gained the support of the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development of Malaysia. The expo is organized in collaboration with Nippon Asia Halal Association, a renowned Japanese halal certification agency, and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia.

In view of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, Japan has acknowledged that there is a need for halal-certified food and services to cater to Muslim athletes and visitors expected in Tokyo. "Halfest Tokyo also aims to further complement the Japanese government's efforts to promote Japan as the halal tourism hub in this region," Redzuan Yusof, Malaysia's entrepreneur development minister, said to reporters during the press conference after the opening ceremony. Japan is increasingly becoming a favorite tourism destination for Muslims worldwide with an expected 1 million inbound Muslim tourists in 2020.