The Fisheries Agency is proceeding with plans to register the DNA of whales caught by Japan in an effort to crack down on poaching and illegal marketing of the meat.
The agency said it plans to make the registry obligatory in the future.
Whale meat currently available in Japan is supposed to only be from minke whales caught under the nation's controversial "research whaling" program and from coastal varieties such as short-finned pilot and Baird's beaked whales.
Officials estimate that the annual volume of whale meat sold in Japan, including that of dolphins, is between 4,000 tons and 5,000 tons.