Expiry Date Reader › Japanese labels
How to read Japanese expiration dates
Japanese dates go year, month, day: 27.03.15 is March 15, 2027. Type what the pack says and check the word next to it.
The words next to the date
| Word | Means |
|---|---|
| 賞味期限 shōmi kigen | Best before. A quality date, on snacks, cup noodles, cheese, cans and bottled drinks. |
| 消費期限 shōhi kigen | Use by. On food that spoils fast, like bento, sandwiches, fresh noodles and cakes. Don't eat it after this. |
| 製造年月日 or 製造日 | Made on. Not an end date. |
| 使用期限 shiyō kigen | Use before, on cosmetics and medicine. |
| 開封後 kaifū-go | After opening, as in 開封後3ヶ月: use within 3 months of opening. |
| 品質保持期限 | Old wording for best before, still seen on some packs. |
+AB after the maker's name | A factory code (製造所固有記号), not part of the date. |
Ways the date is written
| On the pack | Means |
|---|---|
2027.03.15, 27.03.15, 270315 | March 15, 2027 |
令和9年3月15日, R9.3.15, 9.3.15 | March 15, 2027 (Reiwa 9) |
2027.03 or 27.03 | To the end of March 2027 |
27.3下 or 2027年3月下旬 | Late March 2027 (21st to 31st) |
A one-digit year, or one with R in front, is a Reiwa year: add 2018. 上 means the 1st to the 10th, 中 the 11th to the 20th and 下 the 21st to the end of the month. A year and month with no day is only allowed on best-before dates for food that keeps more than three months, and it runs to the last day of that month.
Best before is about taste, use by is about safety
Japan's agriculture ministry says food past its 賞味期限 doesn't become inedible at once, as long as it was unopened and stored as the label says. Look at it and smell it before eating. Food past its 消費期限 is a different matter: the ministry says not to eat it.
Questions
What year is Reiwa 9?
2027. Reiwa began in 2019, so Reiwa 1 (written 令和元年) is 2019 and you add 2018 to any Reiwa year. Reiwa 8 is 2026 and Reiwa 10 is 2028.
Why does my Japanese snack show only a year and month?
Japan allows a year-and-month best-before date when the food keeps more than three months after it is made. The date runs to the end of that month, so 2027.03 means up to March 31, 2027.
Is 27.03.15 March 27 or the year 2027?
The year 2027. Japanese labels put the year first, so 27.03.15 is March 15, 2027. Some export packs with English BB or EXP put the day first; if a date could be read both ways, the reader asks you which.
What does 消費期限 mean?
It is the use-by date on food that spoils fast. The agriculture ministry's examples are bento, sandwiches, fresh noodles and cakes, and it says not to eat them after this date. Most other packaged food shows 賞味期限 (best before) instead.
What is the + code next to the maker's name?
A factory code (製造所固有記号) that stands for the plant that made the food. The + marks it as a code registered under the current rules. It isn't part of the date, so leave it out when you type the numbers.
Do Japanese cosmetics expire if there's no date?
Japan only requires a use-before date (使用期限) on cosmetics that could change within three years of being made, or that contain vitamin C or enzymes. No date means the maker expects it to keep longer than that, unopened and stored properly.
Sources: Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 消費期限と賞味期限; Osaka Prefecture's guide to the Consumer Affairs Agency date formats and the agency's labelling Q&A and Q&A on factory codes (the + goes after the maker's name).
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