A practical, step-by-step guide to correctly map Indonesian vegetables to Japan’s Positive List (MHLW) categories for 2025. Includes a simple decision tree, quick answers for tricky crops (chili, long bean, kangkung, pakcoy, okra, baby corn, green onion/leek, sprouts), and real exporter pitfalls to avoid.
If you’ve ever had a container delayed in Tokyo because the lab pulled the wrong MRL table, you know the pain. In our experience, 3 out of 5 issues on Japan-bound vegetables come down to one thing: misclassification. Not pesticide choice. Not residue levels. Just picking the wrong food category in Japan’s Positive List.
This guide is the system we use inside Indonesia-Vegetables to classify fresh and frozen vegetables for Japan in 2025. It’s focused on commodity/category mapping so you can pull the right MRL table and build a correct test plan. We’re not covering specific MRL values, lab methods, or fruits.
The 3-step system we use to map any vegetable to Japan’s Positive List
Here’s the thing. Japan’s MHLW categories are logical if you start with biology and edible portion, not trade names or HS codes.
- Identify the crop precisely
- Scientific name if possible. Local names vary, but Latin doesn’t. Example: long bean = Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis.
- Variety/form matters when Japan lists sub-items separately. Example: sweet pepper vs chili pepper.
- Classify by edible part and growth stage
- Leaf vs fruit vs pod vs root vs bulb vs sprout vs herb.
- Immature vs mature stage. Long bean is an immature legume pod. Baby corn is an immature cereal cob.
- Edible peel vs inedible peel for cucurbits. Cucumber is edible peel; melon is inedible peel.
- Map to the closest MHLW vegetable group and specific commodity
- Start at the group level (leafy vegetables, brassicas, legume vegetables, fruiting vegetables, roots/tubers, alliums, herbs, sprouts, cereals) and then find the named item. When a specific item exists (e.g., pak-choi), use it over the general group.
Practical tip: Don’t map HS code to MRL category. Japan’s MRL system isn’t harmonized to HS lines. We see this mistake a lot with alliums and brassicas.
Need a second set of eyes on your commodity mapping or test panel? If you want us to sanity-check your crop list against Japan’s groupings, Contact us on whatsapp.
Quick answers for the most misclassified Indonesian vegetables
Is kangkung (water spinach) treated as spinach or separate in Japan?
Kangkung (Ipomoea aquatica) is mapped under leafy vegetables. In practice, use the “leafy vegetables (others)” scope aligned with spinach-type leafy greens. It’s not a brassica. Treat the edible portion as leaves and tender shoots.
Takeaway: Use leafy vegetables, not root or brassica. Confirm the lab lists “water spinach/kangkong” under leafy vegetables.
Are bird’s eye chilies classified the same as bell peppers?
Both are in fruiting vegetables, Solanaceae. Japan often distinguishes sweet pepper/paprika from chili/cayenne when specific MRLs exist. Bird’s eye chili (Capsicum frutescens) maps to the chili pepper item within the peppers group. Bell pepper maps to sweet pepper/paprika.
Takeaway: Same parent group. Use the specific item if listed. If only “peppers” is available, ensure the importer agrees that it covers both sweet and hot types. For hot types from Indonesia, see our Red Cayenne Pepper (Fresh Red Cayenne Chili).
Do long beans (kacang panjang) fall under pulses or fruiting vegetables?
Long beans are legume vegetables (immature pods), not pulses. They sit with green beans and yardlong beans. Don’t use “pulses/dry beans” which apply to mature dried seeds.
Takeaway: Choose “legume vegetables (pods and/or immature seeds).” Misclassifying as pulses underestimates residues because dry pulses are often tested on a dehusked dry matrix.
Does baby corn follow sweet corn/cereal MRLs or vegetable MRLs?
This one trips up teams. Baby corn is the immature cob of maize. Japan generally handles maize under cereals. In our experience, Japanese labs place baby corn under the maize/corn cereal item unless a dedicated “baby corn” line is present.
Takeaway: Treat baby corn as cereal: maize. Confirm with your lab before sampling. For mature kernels destined to be frozen sweet corn, see Premium Frozen Sweet Corn.
How does Japan classify green onions versus leeks?
Different commodities under the Allium group. Green onions/spring onions/Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum) are not the same as leeks (Allium ampeloprasum). Dry bulb onions are another item again.
Takeaway: Use the exact Allium item, not the generic onion category. Indonesian “daun bawang” can refer to green onion, so check the species and product spec. Our Onion line covers bulb onions; for leaf/scallion types, ask your lab for the “Welsh onion/green onion” item.
Are mung bean sprouts a vegetable or a separate sprouts category?
Sprouts are their own category. Japan treats sprouts distinctly because pesticide use patterns differ. Mung bean sprouts map to “sprouts,” not to legumes or leafy greens.
Takeaway: Pick “sprouts” and follow any sprout-specific testing your buyer requires.
Which category should I use for pakcoy/bok choy versus Chinese cabbage?
Both are Brassica rapa but separate items. Pak-choi/pak choy/bok choy is one commodity. Chinese cabbage (napa, pe-tsai) is another. Each may have distinct MRLs.
Takeaway: Use the specific brassica item. Don’t lump bok choy into “leafy vegetables (others).”
What about cucumber versus other cucurbits?
Cucumber belongs to cucurbits with edible peel. That matters because Japan distinguishes cucurbits with edible vs inedible peels. Kyuri, the Japanese cucumber, sits firmly in edible peel.
Takeaway: Choose “cucurbits, edible peel.” For export-grade kyuri, see Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri).
Japan MRL category for eggplant (terong)
Eggplant (Solanum melongena) maps to fruiting vegetables, Solanaceae, item “eggplant/aubergine.” Don’t use the tomato table. Our Purple Eggplant shipments are tested under this item.
Japan MRL classification for okra (lady’s finger)
Okra is a fruiting vegetable, but not Solanaceae or cucurbit. Japan lists okra as a named item in fruiting vegetables, others.
Takeaway: Use “okra” within fruiting vegetables, others. For frozen formats that keep the pod, we still map the raw commodity classification and test matrix accordingly. See Premium Frozen Okra.
Japan MRL classification for basil and fresh herbs
Fresh culinary herbs like basil, coriander leaves, parsley, and mint map to the herbs category. They’re not treated as leafy vegetables.
Takeaway: Use “herbs” and check if the specific herb is listed.
A simple decision tree you can use on every crop
- Step 1. What part do we eat? Leaf. Fruit/pod. Root. Bulb. Sprout. Herb.
- Step 2. At what stage? Immature pod or fruit. Mature seed or grain. This splits long bean vs pulses, and baby corn vs maize.
- Step 3. Any special sub-rules? Cucurbits edible vs inedible peel. Solanaceae split between chili vs sweet pepper. Brassicas split between pak choi vs Chinese cabbage.
- Step 4. Is the item explicitly named in MHLW? If yes, use the named item. If no, choose the nearest group commodity.
- Step 5. Align the lab test matrix to that category. Labs in Japan will ask which table to apply. If you answer with an HS code, they’ll bounce it back.
Pro move: Keep a one-page internal “Japan mapping” sheet listing your SKUs, scientific names, edible part, stage, and the chosen MHLW commodity. We maintain this live and update quarterly with lab feedback.
Mistakes we see, and how to avoid them
- Using HS codes to pick MRL categories. Japan doesn’t classify MRLs by tariff line. Start with biology.
- Collapsing everything leafy into “spinach.” Brassicas, herbs, and lettuces can diverge. For lettuce hearts like our Baby Romaine (Baby Romaine Lettuce) and Loloroso (Red Lettuce), stay in lettuce/leafy vegetables, not brassicas or herbs.
- Treating legume pods as pulses. Long beans and string beans are immature pods.
- Ignoring edible peel in cucurbits. Cucumber vs melon are different groups.
- Using bulb onion MRLs for green onions. Separate Allium items.
- Lab panels built for another market. We regularly see EU-tuned panels used for Japan. Ask your lab to align to the Japan Positive List item you’ve mapped.
What’s changed recently, and what hasn’t
MHLW continues to update MRL values throughout the year, but the vegetable category framework itself hasn’t shifted meaningfully for 2025. The takeaway for exporters: your classification playbook remains valid, but always pull the latest version of the Positive List for the exact commodity before finalizing pesticide programs and COAs.
When to escalate an unclear classification
- The commodity is a hybrid or niche variety not listed in English. Provide the scientific name and edible portion to your lab and importer.
- The item could fit two plausible categories and MRLs differ a lot. Examples: baby corn, chili vs sweet pepper lines, herb-like leafy greens.
- Processed or cut formats blur the line. For IQF vegetables, we still map the raw commodity category, then confirm sample prep with the lab. For mixed blends like our Frozen Mixed Vegetables, test each component against its own category when a buyer requests component-wise COAs.
If you need a fast read on a borderline crop, Contact us on whatsapp and we’ll share how Japanese labs have handled it in recent shipments.
Final takeaways
- Start with scientific name and edible portion. Then apply the Japan group logic.
- Use the most specific named commodity in MHLW you can find. If none, use the nearest group item.
- Double-check tricky ones: baby corn, green onion vs leek, pak choi vs Chinese cabbage, chili vs sweet pepper, sprouts.
- Align your lab panel to the chosen Japan commodity before sampling.
We’ve mapped and tested these categories for the Indonesian crops we export every week, from Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri) and Purple Eggplant to Red Cayenne Pepper and Premium Frozen Okra. If you want to see the full range we can source and prepare for Japan-compliant programs, View our products.