"Stricter Import Customs Declaration Requirements in Japan Starting from April 1, 2026"
Yamasen Cross-border2026-4-11

On March 10th, the Japan Customs announced that from April 1st, 2026, the requirements for import customs declaration in Japan will be further tightened. The Japanese customs will further improve the accuracy and authenticity requirements of the declaration information and strengthen the inspection of goods. For merchants, it is necessary to strengthen the awareness of product compliance and further standardize the operation of goods in the Japanese market.



Common scenarios that lead to import customs clearance failure include, but are not limited to:

1. Infringing goods: Goods that infringe on the intellectual property rights of well-known brands, such as LV, Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, Nike, etc.; Japanese local IPs, such as Sanrio, Tomagotchi, One Piece, Pokémon, etc.


2. Prohibited or restricted goods: Food (cat food, dog food, etc.), animal and plant products (dried flowers, etc.), drugs and medical devices (plasters, microneedle rollers, body piercing tools, etc.).


3. Mismatch between order and goods (the product link and the actual shipment do not match):


  • Order A but ship B: In live streaming scenarios, not all live streaming products have product links generated, resulting in a mismatch between the actual shipment and the product link; irregular filling of product details page images and information, resulting in inconsistency between information and physical goods; merchants' supplementary shipment or missed shipment, not shipped according to the product link;

  • Universal price link: In live streaming scenarios, universal price links do not represent the actual quantity and price of the goods, but are only used to make up the product price;

  • Price/quantity mismatch: Products with obviously unreasonable prices, such as a thermos cup for 1 yen, squeeze toys, etc. In gift scenarios, buy five get one free, or give other products as gifts; the actual shipment quantity of the merchant is inconsistent with the unit and quantity stated in the product image and SKU (over-shipping, under-shipping).

  • Blind boxes of different product types: The product information is xx blind box, and the actual shipped goods cannot be perceived, it could be one or several types, such as electronic product blind boxes (may contain headphones, watches, mice, etc.), cosmetic blind boxes (may contain lipstick, eyeshadow, etc.).


4. Abnormal recipient name and address: Irregular filling of recipient names (such as containing special characters, occupations, or net names), abnormal filling of recipient addresses (such as filling in company addresses, invalid addresses, no detailed addresses, etc.). Merchants need to advocate for consumers to fill in regularly to reduce abnormalities.


5. Abnormal price: For example, the thermos cup is priced at 1 yen, not showing the true price of the product.


6. Other laws and regulations goods judged as commercial by customs: When the purchase quantity of other laws and regulations goods exceeds the personal use limit, or the recipient and address are filled in as the company or the goods are expert samples, they may be judged as commercial by the Japanese customs.


7. Abnormal material: For example, the actual product is clothing, but the merchant fills in stainless steel as the material, resulting in incorrect declaration information and possibly affecting the tax.


Non-compliant scenarios will lead to customs clearance failure, and merchants need to bear the risks and losses of goods detention and destruction on their own.

The above content is sourced fromTikTok Shop.

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