Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur office of the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) is actively supporting Japanese companies in entering the growing halal market, Southeast Asia’s largest religious demographic and a rapidly expanding consumer segment. Jetro said in a statement that the initiatives include launching a dedicated catalogue for Malaysian halal buyers via the Japan Street platform, an online platform for invited overseas buyers.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, as of July 2025, the platform hosts approximately 10,000 Japanese companies and over 5,900 international buyers. As part of its initiative to expand Japan’s presence in the global halal market, Jetro has decided to launch the Japan Halal Export Pavilion on DagangHalal.com, the world’s largest B2B halal e-marketplace with verified buyer access across more than 90 countries.

Jetro will set up a Japan Booth at Food and Hospitality Malaysia (FHM) 2025, the country’s largest food-related trade exhibition, scheduled for September 23-26, 2025. Through these efforts, Jetro aims to facilitate business matching between Japanese companies and halal-focused buyers in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia.

According to Jetro’s research, the Muslim population in Southeast Asia stands at approximately 280 million and is projected to reach 310 million by 2050. Malaysia alone is home to around 21.6 million Muslims, making it the second-largest Muslim population in the region after Indonesia, which has 240 million. With rising population and income levels, the halal market is increasingly attracting attention from Japanese businesses.