US Edition 
Japan relishes status as country with most three-starred Michelin restaurants
Japan has officially swiped the global culinary crown from France as the country with the record highest number of restaurants with three Michelin stars.
There are now 29 three-star Japanese restaurants across the country as highlighted in the forthcoming publication of the new Michelin Guide to the Western cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara.
The figure eclipses the 25 establishments currently bestowed with three coveted stars across France, a country traditionally regarded as home to the world's finest cuisine, chefs and restaurants.
"Japan is a unique country with many cities full of high level cuisine," said Bernard Delmas, president of Michelin in Tokyo. "That is why, even in the fifth year of the arrival of our Michelin guide in Japan, we continue to discover new stars to introduce to our readers."
The race between Japan and France for the highest number of three-starred restaurants has not been clear-cut: last year Japan received a total of 26 Michelin starred restaurants, bringing it on a par with France for the first time, which then also had 26 stars.
However, the closure of Marc Veyrat's three-starred restaurant in Savoie resulted in France's total tally of three-starred restaurants dropping to 25 – allowing Japan to take the lead in the three-star stakes earlier this year.
Japan's status as a clear culinary leader over France will be officially confirmed with publication of the new 2012 publication on Friday, which bestowed a total of 296 stars upon establishments – including an additional three three-starred restaurants – across the Western Japan region.
In the new guide to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara, which will be published in English and Japanese on Friday, there are 15 restaurants with three stars, an accolade which refers to the distinction of "exceptional cuisine worth a special journey".
The high quality of food in the region was reflected by the fact that the total three-star tally for the region outshone the capital Tokyo, which currently has 14.
Kyoto, the former imperial capital, confirmed its status as the culinary epicentre of Western Japan, with seven of the three-star 15 restaurants based in the historic city, which is famous for its culinary heritage.
A further five three-star restaurants are located in Osaka, a city renowned as the birthplace of "okonomiyaki" – a kind of pancake cooked on a hotplate table – while a further two top-starred eateries are in Kobe, a name famous for its associations with high-quality beef.
Among restaurants to be newly crowned with three stars includes Fujiya in Osaka, an establishment founded in 1935 which has been described by some food critics as Japan's answer to the famously experimental Spanish restaurant El Bulli.
Restaurants from Nara city are also included for the first time, with particular attention bestowed upon Wa Yamamura, a newly-appointed three-star restaurant.
While the majority of restaurants featured in the guide serve Japanese cuisine, the mastery of the nation's chefs at Western cuisine is reflected in the growing presence of establishments defined as "fusion" or "contemporary French".
Meanwhile, for the first time, Korean food has made an entry into the exclusive category of Japan's Michelin starred restaurant, with the allocation of a star to an establishment called Houba in Osaka.