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Exporting food supplements from Japan

Japan treats supplements sold as food as food for export certificates: the Regional Agricultural Administration Offices issue free sale certificates when the destination's government asks for them, and MHLW can certify manufacture under the Food Sanitation Act. Products that are pharmaceuticals or quasi-drugs use MHLW's separate export certificates instead.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Certificate law
Export Facilitation Act, which excludes pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs from food
Free sale certificate
Regional Agricultural Administration Offices
Other food sanitation certificates
MHLW Food Monitoring and Safety Division
Pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs
MHLW export certificates, applied for through PMDA
Fee
870 yen per application for State-issued food certificates

Before the goods leave

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the product food in Japan, or a pharmaceutical or quasi-drug? Read more
  2. 2Does the destination's government ask for a free sale certificate? Read more
  3. 3Does it ask for a certificate on the Food Sanitation Act or the factory? Read more
  4. 4Does the destination still restrict food from some prefectures? Read more
  5. 5Who declares it to Customs, and how is the export proved for consumption tax? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Food or medicine for export purposes

The Export Facilitation Act covers food, defined to exclude pharmaceuticals, quasi-drugs and regenerative medicine products.

  • "Food" in the Act means food and drink other than pharmaceuticals, quasi-pharmaceutical products and regenerative medicine products under the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act (Article 2(2)).
  • Certificates under the Act are issued when the destination's government calls for one and the exporter applies (Article 15).
  • For pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs, MHLW issues export certificates; PMDA receives the applications.
  • MHLW began issuing these certificates electronically, as signed PDFs, on 1 August 2026; paper certificates continue.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the product's classification and the certificate that goes with it on the product record, dated. Ask about this

Free sale and food sanitation certificates

Certificates that the supplement is made and lawfully sold in Japan, or made under the Food Sanitation Act.

  • The free sale certificate covers food under Article 4 of the Food Sanitation Act made or processed in Japan and in the form sold in shops.
  • The food must be sold, or saleable, in Japan, unopened since it left the manufacturer, and not made by a business under an improvement order or suspension.
  • It is issued only where the destination's import procedure requires it, and states that the food can be sold in Japan, not that each product is safe.
  • Applications go through MAFF's export certificate system or NACCS, per manufacturing site, with invoice copies, package photos and proof of how the exporter obtained the goods.
  • Where a destination has no government-agreed format, MHLW can certify matters such as manufacture at a plant licensed under Article 55 of the Food Sanitation Act.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the certificate with the lot and invoice it covers, and shows which shipments on a route still need one. Ask about this

Radioactivity-related import measures

Some destinations still restrict Japanese food after 2011 and 2023.

    • As of 21 November 2025, Russia required test certificates, and China, Hong Kong, Macau and Korea kept import bans on some prefectures or items.
    • MAFF tells exporters of processed food to check whether the destination applies these measures and which certificates it asks for.
    • Radioactive material test certificates and certificates of place of production are issued without a fee.

    How we help: Compliant Always keeps the test and origin certificates with the lot, and shows which destinations still ask for them. Ask about this

    Export declaration and customs clearance

    Goods leave Japan on an export declaration to Customs and an export permit, with the permits other laws require.

    • Exporters declare the goods to the Director-General of Customs and obtain an export permit, after any physical examination (Customs Act, Articles 67 and 70).
    • The declaration gives the goods' code, name, quantity and price, the destination, the consignor and the carrier, and is lodged with an invoice; a packing list and permits under other laws may be needed.
    • The exporter or a customs broker acting for it files the declaration; goods are usually permitted once in the hozei (bonded) area.
    • Where another law requires a permit, approval or inspection, Customs does not permit export until it is shown (Customs Act, Article 70).
    • Exporters keep books and documents, such as contracts, invoices and packing lists, for 5 years from the day after the export permit.

    How we help: Compliant Always keeps the invoice, packing list and export permit with the shipment and lot, dated, and shows what is missing before the goods are declared. Ask about this

    Consumption tax exemption on export

    Sales that are exports are exempt from consumption tax, on proof of export.

      • When a sale is an export transaction, consumption tax is exempted; input tax on purchases for that export can still be credited.
      • Proof is needed: for goods given an export permit, the export permit (a document certified by the Director-General of Customs), kept for 7 years.
      • Postal exports of 200,000 yen or less use Japan Post's receipt and dispatch slip instead.

      How we help: Compliant Always keeps each export permit with the sale it proves, dated, and shows which shipments still lack one. Ask about this

      Who answers for what

      WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
      ExporterApplying for certificates only where the destination asks, the accuracy of what it submits, and the product's safety, transport and storage.Certificates and invoices kept with each shipment, dated.
      ManufacturerIts Food Sanitation Act licence and, for export-only products, explaining how they differ from the domestic version.Licences and product records kept with each product.
      Customs brokerThe export declaration, with the invoice and any permits.The shipment's documents in one place before the declaration.
      Certifying authorityMAFF's regional offices for free sale certificates; MHLW for food sanitation and pharmaceutical certificates.Each certificate read against what the destination asks for.

      Where certificates are issued

      Most export certificates for food are applied for at MAFF's Regional Agricultural Administration Offices, the Hokkaido Regional Agricultural Administration Office or the Okinawa General Bureau; some are issued by prefectures or cities with public health centres, or by registered issuing bodies.

      Liquor certificates are issued by the regional taxation bureau for the brewery's location. Plant and animal export inspections are done by the Plant Protection Station and the Animal Quarantine Service at ports and airports.

      Where are the goods going?

      Most of what food supplements have to meet is set where they are sold. Each guide sets out the rules on arrival, with the official source for each.

      Questions businesses ask

      Do I need an export certificate to export supplements from Japan?
      Only if the destination's government asks for one. Japan issues free sale and other food certificates on request, under the Export Facilitation Act, and only where the destination's import procedure requires them.
      Are supplements food under Japan's export certificate law?
      If they are sold as food. The Act defines food as food and drink other than pharmaceuticals, quasi-pharmaceutical products and regenerative medicine products under the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act.
      Can I get a free sale certificate for supplements made in Japan?
      Yes, if the product is food under the Food Sanitation Act, made or processed in Japan, in retail form and sold or saleable in Japan. Apply to the Regional Agricultural Administration Office for your prefecture.
      What do I send with a free sale certificate application?
      The application and a pledge, copies of the invoice and packing list, photos of the package showing the manufacturer, and documents showing how the exporter obtained the product. Export-only products need the manufacturer's explanation as well.
      Can a supplement made only for export get a free sale certificate?
      Yes, if the manufacturer explains how it differs from the same kind of product made and sold in Japan, and that the differences raise no issue under the Food Sanitation Act.
      What if my product is a pharmaceutical or quasi-drug in Japan?
      It falls outside the food certificates. MHLW issues export certificates for pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs, with applications received by PMDA, on paper or, since 1 August 2026, as signed PDFs.
      Who certifies that a supplement was made under the Food Sanitation Act?
      Where the destination has no government-agreed format, MHLW's Food Monitoring and Safety Division can issue a certificate on food sanitation matters, such as manufacture at a licensed plant, on request and only where the import procedure needs it.
      Do Fukushima-related restrictions apply to supplements?
      They can. Some destinations still restrict Japanese food from certain prefectures or require test certificates; MAFF tells exporters of processed food to check with the destination. These certificates are free.
      Is consumption tax charged on supplements exported from Japan?
      No, export sales are exempt from consumption tax. The exporter keeps the export permit, certified by Customs, for 7 years as proof.
      How long must export records be kept in Japan?
      Customs requires books and documents, such as contracts, invoices and packing lists, for 5 years from the day after the export permit. Proof for the consumption tax exemption is kept for 7 years.
      How does Compliant Always help with exporting from Japan?
      Our team reads the rules for the routes you ship. Compliant Always shows which export documents apply to your product, keeps them with the shipment beside what the destination asks for, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

      Sources

      Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

      Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

      Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Japan and what your paperwork needs to show.

      Get in touch

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