# 食品衛生法 / Food Sanitation Act — 第四条 (Article 4) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp. - Law: 食品衛生法 (Food Sanitation Act), 昭和二十二年法律第二百三十三号 - English title "Food Sanitation Act": Ministry of Justice translation - Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say. - Provision: 第四条 (Article 4) — address `art-4` - Text in force since: 2025-06-01 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4 - Every provision below carries its address and both URLs on the line under it. - Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below. Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names. They are never merged and never substituted for one another. --- ### 第四条 art-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4 **第一項** この法律で食品とは、全ての飲食物をいう。ただし、医薬品、医療機器等の品質、有効性及び安全性の確保等に関する法律（昭和三十五年法律第百四十五号）に規定する医薬品、医薬部外品及び再生医療等製品は、これを含まない。 art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-1 The term "food" as used in this Act means all foods and drinks; provided, however, that this term does not include pharmaceutical products, quasi-pharmaceutical products, and regenerative medicine products specified in the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (Act No. 145 of 1960). Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** この法律で添加物とは、食品の製造の過程において又は食品の加工若しくは保存の目的で、食品に添加、混和、浸潤その他の方法によつて使用する物をいう。 art-4/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-2 The term "additives" as used in this Act means substances that are used by the method such as adding, mixing or being infiltrated into food in the process of producing food or for the purpose of processing or preserving food. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** この法律で天然香料とは、動植物から得られた物又はその混合物で、食品の着香の目的で使用される添加物をいう。 art-4/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-3 The term "natural flavoring agents" as used in this Act means substances obtained from animals or plants, or mixtures of those substances, which are used for flavoring food. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** この法律で器具とは、飲食器、割ぽう具その他食品又は添加物の採取、製造、加工、調理、貯蔵、運搬、陳列、授受又は摂取の用に供され、かつ、食品又は添加物に直接接触する機械、器具その他の物をいう。ただし、農業及び水産業における食品の採取の用に供される機械、器具その他の物は、これを含まない。 art-4/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-4 The term "apparatus" as used in this Act means tableware, kitchen utensils, and machines, equipment, and other articles that are used for collecting, producing, processing, cooking, storing, transporting, displaying, delivering, or consuming food or additives, and come into direct contact with food or additives; provided, however, that this does not include machines, equipment, and other articles used for harvesting food for agriculture and fisheries. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第五項** この法律で容器包装とは、食品又は添加物を入れ、又は包んでいる物で、食品又は添加物を授受する場合そのままで引き渡すものをいう。 art-4/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-5 The term "containers and packages" as used in this Act means articles that contain or wrap food or additives and are handed over as is when delivering or receiving food or additives. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第六項** この法律で食品衛生とは、食品、添加物、器具及び容器包装を対象とする飲食に関する衛生をいう。 art-4/par-6 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-6 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-6 The term "food sanitation" as used in this Act means sanitation for eating and drinking concerning food, additives, apparatus, and containers and packages. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第七項** この法律で営業とは、業として、食品若しくは添加物を採取し、製造し、輸入し、加工し、調理し、貯蔵し、運搬し、若しくは販売すること又は器具若しくは容器包装を製造し、輸入し、若しくは販売することをいう。ただし、農業及び水産業における食品の採取業は、これを含まない。 art-4/par-7 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-7 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-7 The term "business" as used in this Act means collecting, producing, importing, processing, cooking, storing, transporting, or selling food or additives, or manufacturing, importing, or selling apparatus, or containers and packages, in the course of trade; provided, however, that this does not include the food collection business in agriculture and fisheries. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第八項** この法律で営業者とは、営業を営む人又は法人をいう。 art-4/par-8 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-8 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-8 The term "business operator" as used in this Act means a person or corporation that engages in business. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第九項** この法律で登録検査機関とは、第三十三条第一項の規定により厚生労働大臣の登録を受けた法人をいう。 art-4/par-9 · https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-4/par-9 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-4/par-9 The term "registered conformity assessment body" as used in this Act means a corporation that has obtained a registration from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare pursuant to the provisions of Article 33, paragraph (1). Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-4/par-9: 第三十三条第一項 → 食品衛生法 第三十三条第一項 (Article 33, paragraph (1)), art-33/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/art-33/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/art-33/par-1 ## Cited by 3 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 食品衛生法 附則第二条第一項（食品等の輸入に関する経過措置） — https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/suppl-4301-46/art-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/suppl-4301-46/art-2/par-1 - 食品衛生法 附則第四条第一項（器具及び容器包装の規制に関する経過措置） — https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/suppl-4301-46/art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/suppl-4301-46/art-4/par-1 - 食品衛生法 附則第四条第一項（食品衛生法の一部改正に伴う経過措置） — https://japanlaw.org/en/food-sanitation-act/suppl-5051-52/art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/322AC0000000233/suppl-5051-52/art-4/par-1 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 食品衛生法 — the text in force from 2025-06-01 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/322AC0000000233/20250601_504AC0000000068), retrieved 2026-11-02 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Food Sanitation Act — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/5024/tb), retrieved 2026-11-02 - This site's parser, version 220 — 食品衛生法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-11-02