Japan: dietitians, jobs and the nutrition industry

Regulator / credentialing body

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare - national licence for registered dietitians (kanri eiyoshi)

Professional title

Registered dietitian (kanri eiyoshi); dietitian (eiyoshi)

Title protection

Yes - national licence issued after the national examination

Professional body

Japan Dietetic Association

Supplement regulation

Consumer Affairs Agency - Foods with Function Claims and FOSHU

Region

Asia-Pacific

How the profession is regulated

Japan's Dietitians Act creates two licensed professions. The dietitian (eiyoshi) is licensed by prefectural governors after graduating from an approved training school. The registered dietitian (kanri eiyoshi) holds a national licence from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare after passing the national examination, which requires a four-year programme or a combination of training and practical experience. Registered dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy, manage nutrition in hospitals and institutions, and lead nutrition guidance for people with health risks.

The Japan Dietetic Association had 48,449 members at the end of March 2026, down slightly from about 49,104 in 2025^[1]. It runs continuing education, specialist certification in areas such as diabetes, renal disease, oncology and sports, and represents the profession nationally.

Where Japanese dietitians work

Japan places dietitians in more settings by law than almost any other country. Hospitals with inpatient beds employ registered dietitians, and nutrition management is reimbursed under the national health insurance fee schedule, including nutrition support team fees and nutrition guidance for patients with conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease. Large food service facilities, such as school lunch kitchens, company canteens and welfare institutions, must employ dietitians. Schools employ nutrition teachers (eiyo kyoyu) who combine school lunch management with food education under the Basic Act on Shokuiku (food education). Long-term care facilities and home care services, funded through long-term care insurance, employ dietitians to manage malnutrition and dysphagia diets.

Specific Health Checkups and Specific Health Guidance, introduced in 2008 for adults aged 40 to 74, identify people with metabolic syndrome risk and offer lifestyle guidance, much of it delivered by registered dietitians and public health nurses.

Strengths of the Japanese market

• Nutrition embedded in law. School lunches, workplace canteens, hospitals and care facilities all require dietitians, giving the profession stable demand.
• A pioneer of functional foods. Japan created Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) in 1991, the world's first regulatory system for functional food health claims.
• Large, innovative companies. Otsuka Pharmaceutical, FANCL, DHC, Suntory Wellness, Meiji and Ajinomoto lead in supplements, sports drinks, amino acids and nutrition science.
• Longevity know-how. Japan's experience feeding the world's oldest population is valuable for other ageing countries.
• Food education culture. Shokuiku has made nutrition part of school and community life.

Opportunities

For practitioners

Japan's population aged 65 and over is the highest share of any large country, which drives demand for dietitians in long-term care, home care, community-based integrated care and dysphagia management. Specialist certification in diabetes, renal, oncology and sports nutrition opens advanced roles. Industry employs many registered dietitians in product development, medical affairs and consumer education. For foreign dietitians, practising in Japan requires the Japanese licence and a high level of Japanese.

For companies

Japan is a large, mature and demanding supplement market. Consumers expect clear evidence, high quality and attractive formats such as drinks, jellies and convenience-store products as well as tablets. Collagen, lactic acid bacteria, eye-health, joint, sleep and stress products are long-standing categories. Foreign companies usually work through a Japanese importer or partner who can manage the claims system and retail relationships.

How supplements are regulated

Japan has no single "supplement" category. Products sit in one of these groups, overseen by the Consumer Affairs Agency:

• Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU): health claims approved product by product after review of human studies; products carry the FOSHU mark.
• Foods with Function Claims (FFC): introduced in 2015; companies notify the agency before sale with scientific evidence, often a systematic review, for the claim.
• Foods with Nutrient Function Claims: standardised claims for specified vitamins and minerals within set dose ranges.
• General foods: may not carry health claims.

In 2024, red yeast rice (beni-koji) supplements made by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical were recalled after reports of serious kidney problems and deaths. The government responded by tightening the Foods with Function Claims system, including mandatory reporting of health damage, stricter manufacturing requirements and closer oversight. Any company selling functional foods in Japan should review the updated rules carefully.

Public health priorities

Health Japan 21, the national health promotion plan now in its third term, sets targets for reducing salt intake, improving vegetable intake, preventing lifestyle-related disease and extending healthy life expectancy. Salt reduction is a long-running priority because of high stroke rates historically. Frailty prevention in older adults, through adequate protein and physical activity, is a growing focus. The Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit, hosted by Japan in 2021, raised the country's profile in global nutrition policy.

Practical notes

For internationally trained dietitians

Foreign qualifications are not automatically recognised. A foreign-trained dietitian would need to have their education assessed for eligibility to sit the national examination, which is conducted in Japanese. Most foreign nutrition professionals in Japan work in research, industry or international organisations rather than clinical practice.

For companies entering Japan

Choose the claims route that fits your evidence: a nutrient function claim for vitamins and minerals, a Foods with Function Claims notification with a systematic review, or FOSHU approval for strong product-specific evidence. Work with a Japanese partner on labelling, notification and distribution; and apply the post-2024 manufacturing and reporting requirements from day one. Japanese buyers attend Asian trade shows such as Vitafoods Asia and Hi & Fi Asia-China; see the events calendar.

Suppliers, manufacturers and retailers in Japan

Notable companies headquartered in Japan across supplements, medical nutrition, ingredients and retail. This is an information list, not an endorsement; companies can claim and expand their profile through a supplement company membership.

Events and trade shows

No major international nutrition trade show with confirmed dates is scheduled in Japan right now. The nearest large events are on the worldwide events calendar, which lists dates checked on each organiser's site.

How Japan fits the global picture

Worldwide, 2.6 billion adults were living with overweight in 2024, and 940 million of them with obesity^[2]. Diabetes affects 589 million adults aged 20 to 79^[3]. The global dietary supplements market was valued at US$209.5 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach US$431.7 billion by 2033^[4]. Those three numbers frame demand for dietitians and nutrition products in every country on the Global Hub.

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