Japan to establish uniform standard for blowfish chef license

June 28, 2019

Tokyo--The Japanese government will establish a uniform standard of certification for a license to prepare and serve blowfish, a poisonous fish much prized as a delicacy in the country, health ministry officials said Friday.

The uniform standard will require applicants to take a written test and demonstrate that they can safely prepare the fish, known as fugu in Japan, the officials said.

Certification standards for the blowfish license vary from prefecture to prefecture. In some prefectures, applicants have only to attend a lecture in order to qualify for a license. Other prefectures require applicants to demonstrate on actual blowfish.

Questions have been raised about the inconvenience of the current license system, which prevents licensed blowfish chefs from working throughout Japan.

A health ministry panel reached agreement on Friday over the need to establish a uniform standard.

After soliciting public opinion, the ministry will inform all 47 prefectures of the new standard as early as autumn this year, the officials said.

With the uniform standard in place, applicants will have to pass a written test that will require them to know the characteristics of edible blowfish varieties and how to remove the poisonous parts of the fish.

In the practical test, applicants will need to be able to look at a fish and tell whether it is edible or not. They will also be required to separate the poisonous and edible parts of the fish. Jiji Press