Malaysia is seeking to expand halal product exports to Japan ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, encouraging local businesses to capture growing demand for food and daily necessities permissible under Islamic law in line with the rising number of Muslim tourists traveling to the country.
Malaysia's halal product exports to Japan were valued at 2.67 billion ringgit ($690 million) in 2016, up 20.8 percent from the previous year, and they will continue growing at a similar pace toward 2020, said Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen Madros, CEO of Malaysia External Trade Development Corp., at a recent industry forum in Kuala Lumpur.
The Southeast Asian country shipped halal products worth 42.2 billion ringgit overseas in 2016, up 7.1 percent, with Japan the fourth largest destination after China, Singapore and the United States, the governmental trade promotion body said.