What counts as wagyu? Four breeds, born and raised in Japan — and how 100 beef brands break down

The breeds that may be called wagyu

The guideline lists these (in its own order):

1. Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu)
2. Japanese Brown (Akage Washu)
3. Japanese Shorthorn (Nihon Tankaku)
4. Japanese Polled (Mukaku Washu)
5. crosses between the breeds above
6. crosses of those crosses with the breeds above

The ministry's public-relations magazine says more than 90% of wagyu fattened in Japan are Japanese Black.

Sources: [W001] [W003]

Born and raised in Japan

Breed alone is not enough. The guideline limits wagyu to beef from cattle whose breed can be proved by documents under the Livestock Improvement Act registration system (a registration certificate, a calf registration certificate or a pedigree document, or an insemination certificate for a calf whose parents are registered), and whose breed and birth and rearing in Japan can be confirmed through the cattle traceability system (the individual cattle identification register).

The handbook of the All Japan Meat Industry Cooperative Association explains that beef sold abroad as "WAGYU" or "Kobe beef" cannot be labelled wagyu in Japan even if imported, because the registration system cannot confirm it as wagyu.

Sources: [W001] [W002]

Look-alike labels follow the same rule

Words that could be mistaken for wagyu, such as WAGYU, わぎゅう or ワギュウ, and the breed names themselves (Kuroge Wagyu and so on), may be used only for beef that meets the same conditions. When the character for "black" is used for beef that is not Japanese Black — "black cattle", for example — the breed or the cross must be stated alongside it.

Sources: [W001]

What kind of rule this is

The guideline is not a law: it is meant to encourage voluntary action by everyone who sells beef or pork. A ministry study-group paper notes that no statute defines "wagyu" labelling as such; the rule is set by the industry's voluntary fair competition code for meat labelling.

Sources: [W001] [W004]

Breeds of the beef brands in this guide

• Japanese Black75 brands
• Crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein) Not Wagyu7 brands

  Tochigi Kirifuri Kogen Beef・Joshu Beef・Atsumi Beef・Kuroshio Beef・Tahara Beef・Chita Beef Hibiki・Tottori F1

• Wagyu (breed not specified)6 brands

  Minami Shinshu Beef・Mikawa Beef・Tohaku Wagyu・Tsuyama Wagyu・Tosa Wagyu・Nagasaki Wagyu

• Holstein Not Wagyu3 brands

  Shihoro Beef・Tokachi Wakaushi・Tottori Gyu

• Japanese Shorthorn3 brands

  Hakkoda Beef・Iwate Tankaku Wagyu・Kazuno Beef

• Japanese Brown3 brands

  Tosa Akaushi・Tosa Rouge Beef・Kumamoto Akaushi

• Dairy breed Not Wagyu1 brand

  Shikaoi Beef

• Not set (no such requirement in the source)2 brands

  Takachiho Beef・Miyazaki Herb Beef

Breeds are as written in each brand's definition (GI specification or council or prefectural standard). "Wagyu (breed not specified)" means the definition says only "wagyu".

Beef brands that are not wagyu

Brands of crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein) or dairy cattle cannot be called wagyu, even though they are brand beef. This guide never uses "Wagyu" in their English names and marks their pages "Not wagyu".

Kurobuta is in the same guideline

The same guideline says only pure Berkshire pork may be labelled kurobuta (black pork), with the origin stated alongside so that imported pork is not mistaken for Japanese. The pork brands in this guide that require Berkshire are:

Sainokuni Kurobuta Pork・Okayama Kurobuta Pork・Kagoshima Kurobuta

What is kurobuta? Japan's "black pork" labelling rule and its 3 Berkshire brands →

Sources: [W001]

Sources

Sources are in Japanese

1. [W001] 和牛等特色ある食肉の表示に関するガイドライン（平成19年3月26日 18生畜第2676号 農林水産省生産局長通知） — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ・ Accessed 2026-10-12
2. [W002] お肉の表示ハンドブック2025（和牛の表示 23〜25ページ、ガイドライン全文 207〜209ページ） — All Japan Meat Industry Cooperative Association ・ Accessed 2026-10-12
3. [W003] aff（あふ）2016年8月号 特集1 和牛(1) 和牛の種類 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ・ Accessed 2026-10-12
4. [W004] 家畜の遺伝資源の保護に関する検討会（第3回）資料3「厳格な「和牛」表示の徹底について」 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ・ Accessed 2026-10-12

The ministry's PDF of the guideline (W001) is a scanned image, so we read its text as reproduced in full on pages 207–209 of the association's handbook (W002).