The HSC Tag: Japan's Government-Backed Answer to Counterfeit Scissors

In 2017, the Japanese government decided the counterfeit scissors problem was big enough to warrant a national initiative.

That might sound dramatic for a niche industry. But professional hairdressing scissors represent a significant segment of Japan’s precision manufacturing economy, and counterfeits were – and still are – eroding both the reputation and the revenue of legitimate Japanese manufacturers. The problem was not small-time knockoffs sold at flea markets. It was sophisticated operations producing convincing fakes, branded with Japanese-sounding names, and sold through legitimate-looking distribution channels at prices just low enough to seem like a good deal.

The response was the HSC (Handmade Scissors Consortium), and its most visible output is the HSC Tag: a physical authentication mark attached to scissors that meet verified Made in Japan standards.

The Origin: METI and the Japan Brand Development Project

The HSC was founded in 2017 under the umbrella of METI’s Japan Brand Development Project (ジャパンブランド育成事業). METI – the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry – is the Japanese government ministry responsible for trade policy, manufacturing standards, and intellectual property protection. When METI gets involved, it means the problem has crossed from an industry nuisance into an economic policy concern.

The Japan Brand Development Project was designed to protect and promote Japanese manufacturing sectors whose reputations were being exploited by foreign counterfeiters. Professional scissors fit the profile precisely: a high-value product where the “Made in Japan” label carries enormous price premium, manufactured by a concentrated group of small to medium enterprises who lack the individual resources to fight international counterfeiting.

The HSC brought together manufacturers willing to submit their products and processes to verification standards. The goal was straightforward: create a trustmark that buyers could rely on to confirm they were purchasing genuinely Japanese-made scissors.

The HSC Tag Program: April 2021

The Tag program launched in April 2021, moving the initiative from an industry consortium into a consumer-facing authentication system. Member companies attach HSC Tags to products that have been verified as meeting the program’s standards.

The tag itself is a physical mark – not a QR code or digital certificate, but a tangible authentication element attached to the scissors or their packaging. This is a deliberate choice. In an industry where the end user is a hairdresser working in a salon, a physical tag that can be checked at the point of purchase is more practical than a digital verification system.

Confirmed HSC member companies include Joewell (manufactured by Tokosha Co., Ltd.) and Naruto Scissors. Both are established Seki City manufacturers with long production histories and verifiable Japanese manufacturing facilities.

The Scale of the Counterfeit Problem

To understand why the HSC exists, you need to understand the economics of scissor counterfeiting.

A genuine Japanese professional scissor retails for anywhere from $300 to $2,000+. The materials cost (steel, hardware, handles) for a mid-range scissor is a fraction of the retail price. The bulk of the cost is labour: forging, grinding, heat treatment, hand-finishing, assembly, and quality control performed by skilled technicians in Japanese workshops.

A counterfeit operation can skip most of that labour cost. Source cheap steel from China or Pakistan, use CNC machining instead of hand finishing, stamp a Japanese-sounding brand name on the blade, and sell the result for $150-$400. The margin is enormous because the actual manufacturing cost might be $10-$30.

In March 2025, Mizutani published a direct warning on their website: “Fake Mizutani’s becoming more common.” See our complete Mizutani profile for more on their authentication measures. When one of Japan’s most respected scissor manufacturers feels compelled to issue a public warning about counterfeits, the problem has reached a critical level. Mizutani’s statement acknowledged that counterfeit products bearing their name were being sold through channels that appeared legitimate, making it difficult for buyers to distinguish real from fake without expert knowledge.

How Counterfeits Enter the Market

The most common tactic is not crude forgery. It is sophisticated brand manipulation. Here are the primary routes:

Fake Japanese names. A company with no connection to Japan creates a brand name that sounds Japanese. They register the brand in their home country, manufacture scissors in Pakistan or China, and market them as “Japanese-style” or “Japanese steel” scissors. Technically, they may not claim “Made in Japan,” but the branding is designed to create that impression.

Routing through Japan. A more sophisticated approach: manufacture scissors overseas, ship them to a Japanese address for repackaging, and then export them as “shipped from Japan.” Some operations maintain a nominal Japanese business entity solely for this purpose. The scissors may even have a Japanese return address on the packaging.

European market tactics. In Europe, some distributors have been known to purchase bulk scissors from Sialkot, Pakistan (the world’s largest low-cost scissor manufacturing hub), rebrand them with Japanese or pseudo-Japanese names, and distribute them through professional beauty supply channels at prices that undercut genuine Japanese products but still represent a massive markup over their actual manufacturing cost.

Grey market diversion. Genuine Japanese scissors intended for the domestic market are purchased in bulk, sometimes by tourists or resellers, and sold internationally without manufacturer authorisation. While these are real products, they typically come without warranty, may be intended for different markets (different steel alloys or finishes for different climates), and their purchase provides no after-sales support.

The 7-Point Authentication Checklist

Whether or not a scissor carries an HSC Tag, here are seven verification steps you can take before purchasing:

1. HSC Tag present. If the scissors carry an HSC Tag, the manufacturer is a verified member of the consortium. This is the most straightforward check. Not all genuine Japanese manufacturers are HSC members, but the presence of a tag is a strong positive signal.

2. Serial number on blade. Most legitimate Japanese manufacturers engrave or etch a unique serial number on each scissor. This number should be traceable back to the manufacturer. If there is no serial number, or the serial number format does not match the manufacturer’s known system, be cautious.

3. Verifiable Japanese business address. The manufacturer should have a real, verifiable business address in Japan. Search for the company name in Japanese (not just English) to confirm they have a genuine Japanese web presence, business registration, and physical location.

4. Authorised dealer purchase. Buy from dealers that the manufacturer explicitly lists on their website as authorised distributors. Most Japanese scissor manufacturers publish their authorised dealer networks. If the seller is not on the list, ask why.

5. Company contact information on packaging. Genuine Japanese manufacturers include full contact details on their packaging: company name, address, phone number, and often a website. Counterfeit packaging tends to have minimal or generic contact information.

6. Consistent pricing. If a scissor that normally retails for $800 is being offered for $300, something is wrong. Genuine Japanese scissors have relatively consistent pricing across authorised channels. Dramatic discounts usually indicate grey market, counterfeit, or defective products.

7. Handmade in Japan seal or equivalent certification. Beyond the HSC Tag, some scissors carry additional certification marks from regional manufacturing associations or quality bodies. These are supplementary indicators, not replacements for the other checks.

Genuine vs. Counterfeit: Red Flags

What the HSC Does Not Cover

The HSC Tag is not a universal standard for all Japanese scissors. It is a voluntary consortium, and not all legitimate Japanese manufacturers are members. Kasho, Hikari, Mizutani, and many other reputable brands may not carry HSC Tags. Absence of a tag does not mean a scissor is counterfeit.

Additionally, the HSC Tag verifies Japanese manufacture. It does not rate quality, compare brands, or certify performance. A tagged scissor is confirmed genuine; it is not necessarily better than an untagged scissor from another legitimate Japanese manufacturer.

The Broader Context

The counterfeit problem is not unique to scissors. It affects virtually every Japanese manufacturing sector where the “Made in Japan” label carries price premium: knives, ceramics, whisky, denim. What makes the scissors industry somewhat unique is the combination of high unit value, a specialised buyer base (professional stylists) who may not have the technical knowledge to verify authenticity, and a distribution model that relies heavily on intermediary dealers.

The HSC represents one approach to the problem: industry self-regulation backed by government support. It works best when buyers know to look for it and when the member base grows large enough to establish the tag as a recognised standard.

For buyers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: learn to verify what you are buying. Use the authentication checklist. Buy from authorised dealers. And if a deal seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Source and further reading: HSC Scissors (English).