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Importing to Japan

Customs duty, VAT, and import regulations, updated 2026

Import tax
10%
Consumption Tax, standard rate, with a reduced rate on food
Low-value rule
JPY 10,000
Tariff system
9-digit Japan Customs Tariff
Last verified 3 September 2026. Figures below are checked against Japan Customs (Ministry of Finance).

Key facts at a glance

Customs authority
Japan Customs (Ministry of Finance)
Low-value rule
JPY 10,000
Import tax
10%. Consumption Tax, standard rate, with a reduced rate on food
Duty this site serves
No duty rows held for this market
Code system
9-digit Japan Customs Tariff
Currency
JPY

The low value rule

JPY 10,000, relieving customs duty and consumption tax.

The threshold is tested against the price of the goods alone.

A list of designated articles is excluded from the exemption regardless of value, and domestic excises other than consumption tax, such as liquor tax and tobacco tax, still apply.

Source: Japan Customs, Customs Answer FAQ 1006. Compare every market →

What this site prices into Japan

This site holds no duty row for Japan. It prices Japan in the calculator from a published category average rather than from a rate read off Japan's own schedule, and the result says so every time it does it. Nothing on this page is a rate for a particular commodity code, and this guide quotes none.

For comparison, the simple average MFN rate across all products is 3.8% on the 2025 profile. That is the figure the calculator falls back to where this site holds no row for the code you asked about. Source: WTO Tariff and Trade Data, Japan member profile: simple average MFN applied 2025, all products.

A worked shipment into Japan

No worked shipment is shown for Japan, because this site holds no duty rate of its own for this destination and will not price one from a category average as though it were a rate for a code. Use the calculator, which discloses the fallback in words every time it uses one.

What this site does not price into Japan

Nothing is recorded here, because this site has never opened Japan's tariff schedule. An absence list names the codes a market was walked for and no figure was found; Japan has not been walked, so the honest statement is the one above rather than a list of nothing.

Selling into Japan rather than buying?

There is no seller guide for Japan. The seller guides are written only for destinations this site prices thoroughly enough to stand behind, and Japan is not one of them. The destinations that do have one →

2026 tariff update

The FY2026 tax reform outline proposes ending the consumption tax exemption on imports of ¥10,000 or less, secondary-reported to start 1 April 2028 and move collection to the seller or the platform, though the date is not yet confirmed against a primary Japanese source. Marketplaces above ¥5bn of annual transactions would become deemed suppliers, with the notification and designation stage from April 2027 and low value seller registration from October 2027. The customs duty exemption is under separate review and has not been changed. Japan remains a CPTPP member and the Japan UK agreement is in force.

Source: Japan Customs (Ministry of Finance). Last verified 3 September 2026 (2026-09-03).

Overview

Japan has one of the world's most efficient customs systems. Duty rates are generally low for industrial goods (0 to 5%), though agricultural products face higher protection. Consumption Tax at 10% applies on most goods (8% reduced for food excluding alcohol). Japan Customs processes declarations via the NACCS system. The ¥10,000 threshold, covering both duty and consumption tax, waives them together, but not liquor or tobacco excise, and it does not apply at all to a named list of goods that includes leather bags and handbags, gloves, knitted apparel such as T-shirts and sweaters, ski boots and leather soled leather shoes. The limit is assessed per declaration, and consignments split between the same sender and the same recipient at the same time are added together.

Import process

1. Goods arrive at Japanese port (Tokyo/Narita, Osaka, Nagoya) 2. Customs Declaration filed via NACCS 3. Duty + consumption tax calculated 4. Release usually within 1 to 2 days for compliant shipments

Practical tips

Japan has zero tolerance for counterfeit goods, and all IP-infringing items are seized
Food imports require notification via FAINS system
CPTPP: goods from member countries often qualify for 0% or reduced rates
Alcohol has specific excise duties, so check JTA rates
Do not assume a cheap parcel is duty free. Knitwear, leather bags and leather shoes are excluded from the ¥10,000 exemption whatever they cost
Selling low value goods into Japan: a reform reported for 1 April 2028 would move consumption tax to the seller or the marketplace, with registration opening in October 2027. Watch for primary confirmation before building it into platform contracts

Restricted and prohibited goods

Child pornography, counterfeit goods (strictly enforced), certain firearms, methamphetamines

What to re-check first

Each claim on this page was checked against a published source on 3 September 2026. These are the items most likely to have moved since.

Low value reform

The 1 April 2028 consumption tax change is reported by secondary sources from the FY2026 tax reform outline, not yet confirmed against a primary Japanese source, and the customs duty side of the threshold is separately under review, with the working group having floated abolishing it outright. The two halves may not move together, and neither should be treated as settled yet.

Exemption exclusions

The excluded goods list is specific and is the most common reason a Japanese parcel under ¥10,000 still attracts duty. Check the list rather than the value.

Platform thresholds

The ¥5bn deemed supplier threshold and the April 2027 notification stage are new machinery. Confirm whether your marketplace has been designated before assuming it will account for the tax.

Calculate duty for Japan

Get an instant estimate for any product shipped to Japan.

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