On July 11, 2026, South Korean media Asia Economy reported that "as the global matcha boom spreads, the Japanese government has embarked on protecting the 'Japanese Tea' brand."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recently announced that it has newly registered Japanese tea as a geographical indication (GI). The article conveyed this, citing reports from Japanese media, and explained that "GI is a system that protects as intellectual property the names of agricultural products, food products, etc., that possess qualities and characteristics derived from the natural environment and production methods of a specific region." It also analyzed that "amid an increase in Japanese tea exports due to the global popularity of matcha, there appears to be an aim to differentiate it from imitations and enhance its brand value."

The article further reported that while Japan's matcha exports have increased approximately threefold over the past 10 years, imitations, such as Chinese-made products claiming to be "Uji Matcha," are successively appearing.

From South Korean internet users, comments such as "China is a genius at imitation, isn't it?", "South Korea must also be wary of people from that country who try to steal anything,", "Japanese food products are good, aren't they? They make proper things and the taste is also good,", "You don't know what's in Chinese products, so it's unsettling and you can't eat them,", "South Korea should also introduce a system like this,", and "Let's take this opportunity to cooperate with Japan and prevent China's thieving acts" were received.

On the other hand, comments such as "Tea is originally a Chinese culture,", "Tea originated in China, didn't it? Westerners all know that fact,", and "Matcha originated in Japan, didn't it?" were also seen. (Translation/Editing by Asae)