MAFF Japanese Cuisine Cooking Skill Certification Explained

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) runs a guideline for certifying the cooking skills of non-Japanese chefs of Japanese cuisine working abroad. It is often misunderstood, sometimes described as a restaurant rating or a licence to cook Japanese food. It is neither. This guide explains what it actually is, how the three levels work, how an overseas restaurant's staff can get certified, and why it can be worth the effort.

1. What the certification is (and is not)

MAFF established the "Guidelines for Certification of Cooking Skills for Japanese Cuisine in Foreign Countries" on 1 April 2016 and revised them on 1 April 2024. The guideline's stated purpose is to let private bodies voluntarily certify foreign chefs of Japanese cuisine whose knowledge and skills have reached a set level, so that more chefs abroad cook with appropriate knowledge and communicate the appeal of Japanese food and Japanese products.

• It certifies individual cooks, not restaurants. There is currently no MAFF certification scheme for Japanese restaurants overseas.
• It is aimed at non-Japanese chefs. The guideline refers to foreign chefs of Japanese cuisine. It is a tool for developing your local team, not for vetting a chef you recruit from Japan.
• It is voluntary. No country we know of requires it to work in a Japanese kitchen, and it is not a visa qualification.
• MAFF sets the standard; private bodies run it. Exams and certificates are issued by certification bodies overseen by registered operating bodies.

2. Bronze, Silver and Gold requirements

The requirements below are from the guideline as revised on 1 April 2024.

MAFF's Q&A on the guideline clarifies that the 150 hours for Silver refers to hours spent on the syllabus subjects, not the whole course.

3. What is tested

Each level covers four areas, getting broader at each step:

• Japanese food culture: food culture at all levels; Japanese foods and eating style from Silver; Japanese sake at Gold.
• Hygiene: prevention of food poisoning, clothing, ingredient handling, cleaning and sterilising utensils, and foods that need heat treatment.
• Cooking techniques: Japanese tools, ingredient selection, cutting and peeling, seasoning ratios, timing, presentation and preservation; heat control and dashi from Silver; menu planning at Gold.
• Omotenashi: manners at Bronze; how to place dishes from Silver; words, greetings and consideration at Gold.

According to the Q&A (updated 1 July 2025), exams have a practical and a written part. The Bronze practical must include filleting a fish into three pieces (sanmai oroshi) and katsuramuki. The written exam should, as a rule, have at least 20 questions on the syllabus, with a pass mark of 70%. Bronze practicals are judged, as a rule, using the practical exam manual of the Japan Association of Training Colleges for Cooks. Silver and Gold practical standards are still being aligned between MAFF and the operating bodies.

The Q&A also sets who may judge exams. For Bronze, at least one examiner who holds Silver or Gold (or, if Japanese, is recognised as having equivalent skill). For Silver, two examiners from a group including Gold holders and Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassadors. Cooking schools in Japan with a Japanese cuisine course may use their own instructors.

4. Who runs it: operating and certification bodies

The system has two layers. Operating bodies (運用・管理団体) register with MAFF, oversee the guideline and approve certification bodies (認定団体). Certification bodies run the training and exams and issue certificates, and report certified chefs to their operating body twice a year.

MAFF lists five operating bodies, with contact details updated on 10 August 2026:

• Organization to Promote Japanese Restaurants Abroad (JRO)
• TSA Career Ltd.
• Japan Association of Training Colleges for Cooks (全国調理師養成施設協会)
• VIDA Corporation
• Japanese Cuisine and Dietary Culture Development Committee (JCDC)

Each has its own network of certification bodies, which include cooking schools and private organisations in Japan and abroad. At the time of writing, VIDA Corporation's certification website stated that it had stopped accepting new applicants.

5. How your staff can get certified

There is no single application portal. The practical route for an overseas restaurant is:

1. Decide the level. For most local cooks, Bronze is the starting point. A cook with around two years in your kitchen may be eligible for Silver only if your restaurant is one recommended by a Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassador, or if they have completed the 150 hour course route.
2. Find a certification body. Contact the operating bodies on MAFF's list and ask which of their certification bodies run exams in your country, in which language, and whether any part can be done online. Some certification bodies now offer Bronze courses delivered online.
3. Ask about cost and timing. MAFF does not publish a standard fee. Ask each certification body for a written quote that covers training, exam and certificate.
4. Prepare. Use the guideline's syllabus and the reference texts MAFF names (see below). Practise sanmai oroshi and katsuramuki for the Bronze practical.
5. Keep the records. Certificate, date, level and body. These are useful evidence in a succession plan.

6. How many chefs hold it

As of 31 March 2026, MAFF reports 3,976 certified chefs: 28 Gold, 1,337 Silver and 2,611 Bronze. The largest groups by nationality in MAFF's breakdown were China (including Hong Kong) with 1,106, South Korea 632, Taiwan 466, the United States 314 and Vietnam 229. For context, MAFF estimated about 181,000 Japanese restaurants outside Japan in 2025. Certification is still rare, which is part of its value as a signal.

7. Why it helps employers

• A ready-made training standard. The syllabus gives your programme structure without writing one from scratch. See training local staff in Japanese cuisine.
• An external check. An exam judged by outside examiners tells you whether your training works.
• Retention and pride. A certificate backed by a Japanese ministry means something to a cook. Linking it to a pay step gives people a reason to stay.
• Succession evidence. Where visa rules expect you to develop local staff (Malaysia's Employment Pass succession plan requirement from 1 January 2027 is one example), certificates are concrete evidence.
• Guest communication. A certified cook can tell guests about it. Note that MAFF licenses the Gold, Silver and Bronze logo to operating and certification bodies for use on certificates and in promoting the scheme, so ask your certification body before using the logo in your own marketing.

It does not replace hiring experienced chefs. For that side of the kitchen, see how to hire a Japanese chef.

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Details of the certification scheme, operating bodies and fees can change; confirm current arrangements with MAFF and the operating bodies.