An Attempt to Apply Actor-Network Theory to Halal Food Production and Supply in Japan

Abstract

This paper applies actor-network theory to analyze the production and supply of halal food in Japan. The findings were as follows. Firstly, with the increase in numbers of Muslim immigrants entering Japan since the time of the bubble economy, provision of halal meat emerged as an ethnic business among Muslim residents. Based on religious ties in the Muslim community, with its many undocumented residents, the halal meat business was operated as an informal market situated outside the regular distribution network. Secondly, since the mid-2010s, under the Japanese government’s agricultural products export promotion strategy, large-scale, modern and hygienic facilities under Japanese management have also attempted to obtain overseas halal certification so as to produce and export halal meat. Because of the expense of acquiring and maintaining internationally-recognized halal certification, in order to compete in overseas markets, Japan needs to carry out large-scale capital investment and also establish economies of scale similar to those already underway in Brazil and Australia. However, the high cost of halal meat resulted in poor sales because most Muslims in Japan had weak purchasing power and low income. Consequently, the first requirement for Japanese companies hoping to launch themselves into the halal-certified meat business is demand from wealthy people in Muslim countries as well as inbound Muslim tourists. Amidst the halal boom, the difficulties of securing domestic halal production were initially exposed by the domestic Muslim community in Japan, but that community, being perceived as a minority, has been receiving little attention. By applying actor-network theory to those two mutually inconsistent networks, this paper clarified the ‘modes of ordering’ which constitutes production and supply of halal food in Japan.