A restaurant-business permit: the public health centre's facility standards and the food-sanitation supervisor

To open a café, izakaya or restaurant that cooks and serves food, you need a restaurant-business permit under the Food Sanitation Act. This article organises the permitted-business types, the facility standards a public health centre reviews, who can be a food-sanitation supervisor, what the 2021 HACCP reform changed, and the flow from application to opening.

In short: to open a café, izakaya or restaurant that cooks and serves food, you need a restaurant-business permit under the Food Sanitation Act. Restaurant business is a permitted-business type under the Order for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 35, and you obtain the permit from the prefectural governor (in cities and special wards with a public health centre, the mayor or ward head) (Food Sanitation Act, Article 55, paragraph 1). The standards the facility must meet are set by each municipality's Food Sanitation Act enforcement ordinance under Article 54 of the Act, and you must place one food-sanitation supervisor per facility (Article 51, paragraph 1). On 1 June 2021 (Reiwa 3), HACCP-based hygiene management fully took effect, and the permitted-business types were reorganised and a business-notification system was newly created. This article organises the conditions and flow; eligibility is decided by the public health centre's review, and our office does not guarantee a permit.

What business types need a restaurant-business permit?

An operation that cooks and provides food or drinks on the premises in principle needs a restaurant-business permit. Besides restaurants, cafés, izakaya and snack bars, a shop centred on takeaway or delivery that involves cooking generally counts as restaurant business. In the 2021 reform, the former "coffee-shop business" was merged into restaurant business.

On the other hand, depending on the food handled and the processing, it may be a different business type. Making and selling bread or cakes is confectionery manufacturing; selling meat or fish is the respective sales business—whether a permit is needed differs by type. There are also business forms for which a notification suffices instead of a permit (Article 57 of the Act), and which procedure applies is decided by the content of the business. If you are unsure, confirm with the public health centre that has jurisdiction over the planned site.

Type of procedure	Basis	Main examples
Business permit	Food Sanitation Act Art. 55 (1); Enforcement Order Art. 35	Restaurant business, confectionery manufacturing, etc.
Business notification	Food Sanitation Act Art. 57 (1)	Sale of shelf-stable packaged food, etc.

Note that to serve alcohol mainly after midnight, a separate notification under the Entertainment Business Act is required in addition to the restaurant-business permit. The difference is summarised in Late-night alcohol-serving restaurant business notification.

Facility standards the public health centre reviews (handwashing, sinks, zoning): how far must you meet them?

The standards a facility must meet are set, under Article 54 of the Food Sanitation Act, by each municipality's Food Sanitation Act enforcement ordinance. The state shows the framework of standards to be referred to in the enforcement regulations, but the specific figures and specifications differ by municipality and business type, so confirm them in the ordinance of the planned site and the public health centre's guide. Typical items to check are as follows.

Item	Point to check
Handwashing facility	A handwashing basin for workers; a tap structure that prevents cross-contamination (lever-type, automatic, etc.) is often required
Sinks (washing facilities)	The number of basins matching washing of food and utensils; many municipalities require two or more
Zoning	A layout that separates the kitchen from the dining area, and contaminating from non-contaminating work
Floor, walls, ceiling	Easy-to-clean, water-resistant materials
Ventilation, lighting	Sufficient ventilation and the brightness needed for work
Refrigeration/freezing	Equipment fitted with a thermometer to check temperature
Changing room, pest control, hot water	A place for workers to change, prevention of rodents and insects, necessary hot water

Whether figures and zoning are required varies by business type. Consulting the public health centre before deciding the interior works and layout, and preparing drawings that follow the ordinance's standards, helps avoid redoing works.

Who can be a food-sanitation supervisor, and how are they appointed?

A facility such as a restaurant business must place one food-sanitation supervisor (based on the general-hygiene-management standards under Food Sanitation Act, Article 51, paragraph 1; Enforcement Regulations, Appended Table 17). The operator may serve as the supervisor, or may appoint an employee.

A food-sanitation supervisor may be someone who falls into one of the following.

A person with a prescribed qualification, such as a cook, a dietitian, a confectionery-hygiene master, or one qualified to be a food-sanitation manager or food-sanitation inspector
A physician, dentist, pharmacist or veterinarian
A person who has completed a food-sanitation-supervisor training course held by the prefectural governor, etc. (or by a body designated by the governor)

If you have no qualification, taking the training course is the common route. The supervisor confirms how hygiene management is being carried out and advises the operator on necessary improvements. It is usual to appoint one by the time of the permit application.

What did the 2021 Food Sanitation Act reform (HACCP, reorganisation of permitted types) change?

Under the revised Food Sanitation Act promulgated in 2018, from 1 June 2021 (Reiwa 3), HACCP-based hygiene management came to be required, in principle, of all food-business operators (Food Sanitation Act, Article 51, paragraph 1, item 2). In addition to general hygiene management, a restaurant is required, as "hygiene management incorporating the HACCP approach," to prepare a hygiene-management plan with reference to a guidebook and to record and check it.

At the same time, the business-permit system was reviewed and the types reorganised. Coffee-shop business was merged into restaurant business, and the permitted types were organised in Enforcement Order Article 35. Furthermore, a business-notification system was newly created for operations outside the permit scope but with public-health impact (Article 57 of the Act). Whether your business needs a permit, a notification, or neither should be confirmed at the public health centre.

In what order do you proceed from application to permit and opening?

Opening a restaurant runs premises, works and administrative procedures in parallel. To avoid rework, the basic order is as follows.

Before signing the premises contract, consult the public health centre and confirm the facility standards and required documents
Design and carry out works to the ordinance's standards
Appoint a food-sanitation supervisor (take the training course if unqualified)
Apply for the business permit (submit facility drawings, the application form, etc.)
Undergo the public health centre's facility inspection
Receive the permit certificate and start operating

The roles are divided as follows.

Preparation of the restaurant-business permit application and drawings, and support for prior consultation with the public health centre → Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener)
Selection, lease and important-matters explanation of the business premises, and checking restoration and exhaust → Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd.
Notification for serving alcohol after midnight → a procedure under the Entertainment Business Act (administrative scrivener)
Works and fire procedures for interior, exhaust and fire prevention → an architect, a fire-equipment engineer and the fire authority
Registration to incorporate a company → a judicial scrivener
Accounting and tax after opening → a tax accountant
Individual legal judgement on rights, obligations and disputes → an attorney

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses. Our office handles only support for the restaurant-business permit application as an independent business, and premises, works, fire, registration and tax are contracted or consulted separately with each qualified professional and administrative counter. Our office receives no referral fee. For the whole picture of licensing, see Licensing and Permits; for the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; and for fees, see Fee Schedule. Eligibility itself is decided by the public health centre.

FAQ

Q. Do takeaway-only shops or food trucks also need a restaurant-business permit?
A. As long as you cook and serve, a restaurant-business permit is in principle required. A food truck (mobile operation) has facility standards that differ from a shop, and the items and area it may operate may be limited. Because the necessary procedure changes with the food handled and the cooking, confirm with the public health centre that has jurisdiction over the planned site.

Q. Must a food-sanitation supervisor always take a course?
A. No. A person qualified as a cook, dietitian or confectionery-hygiene master, or as a physician, dentist, pharmacist or veterinarian, can be a food-sanitation supervisor without a course. If you have none of these, you can qualify by completing a training course held (or designated) by the prefectural governor, etc.

Q. Do small individual shops also need to address HACCP?
A. Yes. From 1 June 2021, it is required in principle of all operators. However, small restaurants and the like may use "hygiene management incorporating the HACCP approach," basically preparing a hygiene-management plan with reference to a guidebook made by an industry body and recording and checking it. Confirm the specific forms with the public health centre or the guidebook.

Q. Once obtained, does the permit not need renewal?
A. A restaurant-business permit has a validity period and must be renewed before it expires. The validity period is set by the municipality, generally within a range of about 5 to 8 years for each facility. Check the expiry date on the permit certificate so as not to miss the renewal timing.

Sources (Primary Information)

e-Gov Law Search, "Food Sanitation Act" (Act No. 233 of 1947), Article 51, paragraph 1; Article 54; Article 55, paragraph 1; Article 57, paragraph 1 (accessed 2026-09-04)
e-Gov Law Search, "Order for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act" (Cabinet Order No. 229 of 1953), Article 35 (business types requiring a permit) (accessed 2026-09-04)
e-Gov Law Search, "Regulation for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act" (Ministry of Health and Welfare Order No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 17 (appointment of a food-sanitation supervisor, etc.) (accessed 2026-09-04)
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Institutionalisation of HACCP-based hygiene management" and "Review of the business-permit system and creation of the business-notification system" (fully effective 1 June 2021; accessed 2026-09-04)
The Food Sanitation Act enforcement ordinance set by the municipality of the planned site (facility standards), and the guide to restaurant-business permit applications published by the public health centre (accessed 2026-09-04)

This article is general information and does not guarantee individual eligibility for a permit, conformity with facility standards, or the required documents, fees or validity period. Facility standards differ by municipal ordinance, and the final review of the restaurant-business permit is made by the public health centre (prefecture, city with a public health centre, or special ward). Serving alcohol after midnight is a separate notification under the Entertainment Business Act; works and fire procedures for interior, exhaust and fire prevention are handled by an architect, a fire-equipment engineer and the fire authority; registration to incorporate a company by a judicial scrivener; accounting and tax by a tax accountant; and individual legal judgement on rights, obligations and disputes by an attorney, each as an independent business under a separate contract or consultation. Selection, lease and important-matters explanation of the business premises are handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. as a separate business, and no referral fee is exchanged with our office. Confirm the standards, forms and required documents for each facility on the relevant municipality's official page. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.