It is mandatory to establish regional public health institutes in prefectures, government-designated cities, and governmental agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in order to develop specifications, criteria, and standards based on scientific principles. Prefectures and government-designated cities have responsibility to monitor the specifications and standards and they may impose administrative sanctions and other clampdowns against violating products. The responsibilities of the Regional Public Health Institutes are governed by the Local Health Law and the Institutes focus on conducting studies and examinations including those with large research elements and those that require wider views or specialized/advanced skills and special equipment. Regional Public Health Institutes are also required to play a role in training and teaching, gathering and analyzing information on study protocols and public health, and providing information to the local community. In this manner, the Regional Public Health Institutes play important roles as the scientific backbone of local government.
Following is the introduction by five specialists from the Regional Public Health Institutes about some of their work.

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The Hokkaido Institute of Public Health was established in 1949 with the aim of raising the standards of health and hygiene in Hokkaido. In Hokkaido, cases of food poisoning due to poisonous plants occur almost every year. From 1955-2018, the number of patient cases was 257 and the number of deaths was 18. The highest number of causative plants was 20 cases of Aconitum sp., followed by 9 cases of Colchicum autumnale, and 8 cases of Narcissus sp. Between 1989-2018, six cases of the 13 Aconitum sp., five cases of the 9 Colchicum autumnale and seven cases of the 8 Narcissus sp. were from accidental and unknowing ingested of Anemone flaccida, Allium victorialis and Allium tuberosum, respectively. Although the plants that cause food poisoning are diverse, food poisoning by poisonous plants that are considered to be cultivated plants such as Colchicum autumnale and Narcissus sp. has been increasing since 1989. Poisonous plants may grow not only in hills and fields but also in familiar places such as home gardens. Hokkaido Institute of Public Health has a medicinal botanical garden planted with northern medicinal plants and poisonous plants resembling wild plants. Therefore, in order to prevent health damage caused by poisonous plants, a "Spring wild plants exhibition (HARU NO SANSAITEN)" is held at the medicinal botanical garden for the purpose of disseminating knowledge on how to identify wild plants and poisonous plants. There, we are alerting the visitors of the "Spring wild plants exhibition" not to eat plants belonging in Colchicum autumnale, Veratrum sp., Aconitum sp. and Datura metel by mistake.

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This is an introduction to food safety tests (chemical tests, microbial tests, and radioactivity tests) and the latest research carried out by the Saitama Prefectural Institute of Public Health. We will outline sample assays, based on the Saitama Food Hygiene Monitoring Guidance Plan, that are conducted in all three areas of food safety.
The chemical tests are concerned with the screening for pesticide residue in agricultural products. One of the original initiatives by Saitama Prefecture is to identify the cause of contamination when a consumer confers with the food hygiene inspector in the Health Center. We will also present research projects funded by a Health and Labour Sciences Research Grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. These are collaborative research projects carried out jointly by industry, government and academia.
With regard to microbial tests, we examine test results used to determine any causes of food poisoning and we review operational management procedures to ensure the reliability of tests. We also review the measures that have been implemented during the fiscal year to prevent enterohemorrhagic E. coli at facilities that process or supply raw vegetables and fruit.
The radioactivity tests we will introduce are primarily the food tests that have been carried out since the accident that occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011; we will also present the latest research results on these tests.

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The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health (TIPH) is a scientific and technical organization that conducts tests, research, training, analyses, publicity of information, and monitoring and guidance in public health matters from the standpoint of protection of citizens from health hazards. Illegal drugs are investigated by TIPH in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Affairs Division to prevent drug abuse. Analyses of illegal drugs are done using LC/PDA, GC/ EI-MS, NMR, SCXRD and HR-MS for the purpose of finding controlled drugs and unregulated newly introduced drugs. Unregulated new drugs are assayed using mice and cultured cells to evaluate the biological effects for designation as Tokyo governor-designated drugs. These data are utilized for designation as minister-designated drugs and as other prefecture governor-designated drugs.
The analyses of illegal drugs have distinct difficulties, as follows. Not all chemical standards can be purchased, and for that reason, it is sometimes necessary to purify samples, synthesize standards, or confirm the chemical structure of purchased standards. Illegal drags contain compounds with similar chemical structures; so extra time is taken to distinguish among them during analyses. During analysis, a special approach that suits the physical properties of the product is necessary, because illegal drugs are sold in many forms such as powder, liquid, herb, paper, gas cylinder and synthesis kits. New methods were developed for assays to evaluate the biological effects for illegal drugs. One of them is an inhalation exposure method. This is to evaluate effects of synthetic cannabimimetics distributed in the Tokyo area. Another method is counting the head twitch response in mouse tests to evaluate effects of hallucinogenic drugs that are difficult to evaluate by general and neurological behavior.
TIPH will continue to maintain a system for scientifically dealing with crisis management through daily and extraordinary analyses.

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Tokyo, the capital of Japan, has a population of over 13 million, and is visited by many tourists. Large quantities of food, including domestic foods and imported food from every corner of the world, are distributed and consumed in Tokyo.
If a food-related accident occurs, it may affect the health of many residents and tourists in Tokyo. In order to ensure food safety, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government conducts inspection, monitoring and awareness raising activities in response to changes in the situation and in accordance with laws and regulations.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health has an examination and research sector, a food safety control section, and a food and pharmaceutical information unit, and contributes to ensuring food safety in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
This article introduces the efforts of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health concerning the inspection of pesticide residues, radioactive substances, and food additives.
Regarding pesticide residues, we described how to respond to the positive list system for pesticide residues in crops, which was enforced by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2006, for cases exceeding the maximum residue limits of crops, and cases of pesticide contamination accidents in frozen foods.
In addition, we introduced examples of radioactive material examinations of foods sold in Tokyo area, before and after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Further, regarding food additive examination in foods, an overview, examples of violations of the laws, and ideas for dealing with a large number of administrative specimens have been introduced. As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming soon, we have urgent tasks to strengthen the health crisis management system, and to conduct testing and inspection work in accordance with international standards. It is important to start solving these tasks and ensure food safety.

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At Nagoya City Public Health Research Institute, several new analytical methods were developed for harmful substances in plastic products used in kitchen utensils and food packaging, including the following. A headspace gas chromatography method was developed for volatile substances such as vinyl chloride in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, and vinylidene chloride in polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) products, 1-chlorobutane in PVDC casing films, residual volatiles in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers and poly(methyl methacrylate) products. A gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method was developed using ethyl derivatization with sodium tetraethylborate for organotin compounds in PVC. The method has a decided advantage over the previous method with high sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility. Also, total organic carbon (TOC) was investigated as an index of total organic material migrated into water from plastic kitchen utensils and food packaging, and indicated as alternatives of consumption of potassium permanganate. In addition, an interlaboratory study was performed to evaluate the equivalence between an official method and a modified method of the evaporation residue test. Accordingly, the modified method provides performance equal to the official method and can be applied as an alternative method. Some of these methods have already been adopted as official methods based on the Japanese Food Sanitation Law.

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 This paper discusses how food additives are dealt with in major global halal certification standards. Previously when determining if an additive was halal or not, the focus was on: a) the halalness of used raw materials and b) the nature of product such as whether it was 'intoxicating' or 'hazardous' etc. (Sakr 1993). Today most recognized halal certification bodies (HCBs) require more information. Establishment of a halal management system is required, extending throughout the whole manufacturing process and supply chain from farm to fork. This is done to prevent adulteration and cross-contamination and to keep religious purity by checking not only raw materials but also processing aids and the manufacturing process (Riaz 2004;2019, MS1500, HAS 23000, etc.).
　HCB criteria may differ according to the interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law) and/or its application to detailed rules. In particular, the treatment of alcohol is variable. Some ancient ulamas thought that 'khamr (alcoholic drink)' prohibited by al-Quran is made from grape, raisin and/or dates; hence, alcoholic drinks from other materials such as cereals were permitted for drinking provided one does not become intoxicated because they are not 'khamr' (Riaz 2004). However, recent HCB interpretation is that khamr means any alcoholic drink that causes intoxication according to hadith as is mentioned in Al-Qaradawi's famous book on "Lawful and Prohibited in Islam " (Armanios & Ergene 2018 etc.)
　While most major halal standards such as Malaysian Standard (MS), Gul f Cooperat ion Coun c i l Standardization Organization (GSO), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation-the Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries (OIC-SMIIC) have simply prohibited any use of alcohol in food production, the Indonesia Ulama Council (MUI) has been more pragmatic. The MUI's first fatwa on alcohol in 2009 clearly differentiated alcoholic drinks from industrial ethanol. According to this fatwa, while khamr and ethanol of khamr-origin are haram and impure, industrial ethanol (both synthetic and result of fermentation) of non-khamr origin is pure and usable for food production. As a consequence, according to Halal Assurance System (HAS) standards criteria (MUI 2012a; 2012c), industrial ethanol can be used for the purpose of sanitization and extracting flavors for making halal certified products under the condition that the alcohol level of the final product is not detectable and alcohol level of any intermediate product is not more than 1%. 'Not detectable' is rather vague. According to a question and answer session during the international HAS training 2014, MUI's analyzers cannot detect if the alcohol level is less than 0.1%. However, advancements in analytical techniques may lower the number anytime. In 2018, MUI announced a new fatwa on alcohol which clearly states upper limits of contained alcohol. The alcohol level of final product in food is not limited as long as it is not harmful from a medical point of view, and the beverage has no more than 0.5% alcohol. The alcohol level of intermediate products is not limited as long as it is not medially harmful and the alcohol level of final products meets the above conditions. It also clearly states that vinegar is halal if it is fermented naturally or artificially. Criteria for halal certification tend to become stricter and stricter. In the meanwhile, the Indonesian movement implies that every halal certification body needs to establish its own standard that reflect its local circumstances.
halal= permissible according to sharia
ulama= a sharia scholar/jurist
khamr= Arabic name for alcoholic drinks prohibited by sharia
hadith= record of the words and actions of the prophet Muhammad
fatwa= an official opinion on a point of sharia given by a qualified jurist
haram= forbidden by sharia

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Health foods and functional foods have been popular throughout history. However, up to now only transformed cell lines have been used to study their function and thus our knowledge of the function of intestinal organs and taste cells has been limited. Recently, new methods to culture native cells called "organoid culture methods" have been established to culture these organs in vitro. In this paper, I will provide an overview of the generation of intestinal/taste organoids and present our current study of these organoids. Future perspectives in related areas of study and application using organoid culture systems will be discussed.

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The ancients discovered that while the wetted grains of barley germinate, the dried grains can be stored for a long time. Barley is the prototype of malt. It is easily prepared for porridge, and on standing the porridge is transformed into beer by natural yeast. In general, the dry barley seeds are dormant with minimal metabolic activity. When wetted and held at a suitable temperature, with a sufficient supply of oxygen, the seeds germinate and the seedlings grow. The seeds preserve the nutrient components (starch and protein, etc.) that are needed until the seedlings grow and develop into plants with photosynthetic activity. Hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase and protease, etc. are biosynthesized or activated in the initial germination. These enzymes degrade starch to glucose or protein to amino acids. During germination, the degradation products are used as energy and constitutive components for growth of the seedlings. This mechanism is a common phenomenon of all seeds. In particular, the germinated barley contains more abundant degradation products and enzymes than other germinated cereals such as rice, wheat and corn. At present malt is produced from barley and is used for production of beer and other alcoholic beverages.

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