一Japan Oilseed Processors Association is a nonprofit industry organization comprised of companies involved in the production and processing of vegetable oils.

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Path of Vegetable Oil

6. Conditions of vegetable oil in Japan

(2) Vegetable oil distributed in Japan

Numerous types of vegetable oil and related processed goods are distributed in Japan. These products are supplied using the following methods.
　　1) Crude oil is extracted from raw materials such as oil seeds. The crude oil is refined to manufacture a finished product.
　　2) Crude oil is imported from overseas and refined to manufacture a finished product.
　　3) Refined oil is imported from overseas.

Table 6 shows a systematic summary of vegetable oil and edible oils that are distributed in Japan. Types of vegetable oil used on a daily basis are semi-refined oil, refined oil, and salad oil. However, there are also other types of oils. Standards for different types of refined oil and salad oil are defined by the Act on Japanese Agricultural Standards (commonly referred to as the JAS Act). Therefore, vegetable oil not defined by the JAS Act cannot use the name refined oil or salad oil, even if the oil in question satisfies the applicable standards. These oils simply use the name "edible vegetable oil."

Table 6: Categories of edible oils
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Additionally, unique traditional names are also used in the Japanese oil-manufacturing industry. For example, "red water" refers to rapeseed oil that has not been refined. During the period when refining equipment was not widely available, it was normal for the rapeseed oil manufactured from rapeseed produced in Japan to be distributed without undergoing refinement. The product had a reddish color; hence the nickname "red water." Also, "shirashimeyu oil" refers to the refined oil category listed in Table 6. This name comes from the whitish (translucent) color of the oil, as opposed to the reddish color of rapeseed oil.
Table 7 is a summary of vegetable oil using these categories and the names of the oilseeds used as raw material.

Table 7: Names of edible vegetable oil
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Note: Refined oil and salad oil is a name based on the JAS Act. Oils using this name are subject to strict standards. Oil for which JAS standards have not been defined cannot use this name, and are instead referred to as "edible XXXX oil."

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