Compliant Always
Get in touch

Exporting toys from Japan

Japan has no export certificate scheme for toys; its certificate law covers food and agricultural products. Toys leave on an export declaration to Customs. They fall in Chapter 95 of the tariff, inside the catch-all export control, and chambers of commerce issue certificates of origin. Destination rules are in the market guides.

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

Export certificate scheme
None found for toys in the official sources
Export declaration
To Japan Customs, with the invoice
Tariff chapter
Chapter 95, toys, games and sports requisites
Export controls
Catch-all, when METI specifies the case or notifies the exporter
Certificates of origin
Chambers of commerce; EPA self-certification

Before the goods leave

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

  1. 1Who declares the toys to Customs, and with which documents? Read more
  2. 2Has METI notified you that an application for export permission is needed? Read more
  3. 3Does the buyer want a certificate of origin or preferential origin? Read more
  4. 4Is the export permit kept for the consumption tax exemption? Read more

The rules, by area

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

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

Export controls (FEFTA)

Under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, some goods need METI permission or approval before export.

  • Exporting goods listed in Appended Table 1 of the Export Trade Control Order to the regions listed needs the permission of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (FEFTA, Article 48).
  • Row 16 of that table, the catch-all, covers goods in tariff classes 25 to 40, 54 to 59, 63, 68 to 93 and 95 that are not listed elsewhere: permission is needed where a METI order specifies the case, or METI notifies the exporter, because the goods may be used to develop nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, missiles or conventional arms.
  • Appended Table 2 goods need METI approval, and exports to Russia of goods listed in Appended Table 2-3, item (iii) and specified by METI order also need approval.
  • Customs confirms the permission or approval before it permits the export.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the classification and any licence with the product and shipment, dated, and answers importers' questions from that record. Ask about this

Certificates of origin

Non-preferential certificates from chambers of commerce, and proof of preferential origin under Japan's EPAs.

    • Chambers of commerce across Japan issue ordinary certificates of origin, which certify the country of origin from the commercial invoice; they do not certify the place of production within Japan.
    • Under Japan's EPAs, preferential origin is shown either by a certificate of origin from a designated body (third-party certification) or by an origin statement made by the exporter, producer or importer (self-certification).
    • Exports from Japan can use self-certification under the Japan-Australia EPA, CPTPP, the Japan-EU EPA, the Japan-UK EPA, RCEP (to Australia, New Zealand and Korea) and the Japan-US Trade Agreement.
    • The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry is designated by METI to issue third-party EPA certificates of origin, except for the Japan-Singapore EPA, which local chambers issue.

    How we help: Compliant Always keeps each certificate or origin statement with the shipment it covers, beside the bill of materials behind it, and answers importers' origin questions from the record. 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
      ExporterThe export declaration, any METI permission, and the proof of export it keeps.Invoices and export permits kept with each shipment, dated.
      ManufacturerThe materials and production records behind a claim of origin.Bills of materials kept with the product for origin questions.
      Customs brokerLodging the declaration for the exporter.The shipment's documents in one place before the declaration.
      Chamber of commerceCertificates of origin, and JCCI for third-party EPA certificates.Each certificate kept with the shipment it covers.

      Where are the goods going?

      Most of what toys 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 toys need an export certificate to leave Japan?
      Japan's export certificate law covers agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food, not toys. Toys leave on an export declaration to Customs; the destination's own rules are in the market guides.
      What documents does Japan Customs need to export toys?
      An export declaration with an invoice. A packing list, and permits or approvals under other laws, may also be needed.
      Who files the export declaration in Japan?
      The exporter, or a customs broker it appoints. The declaration goes to the customs office for the bonded area where the goods are brought, and the export permit is generally given once they are there.
      Are toys covered by Japan's export controls?
      Chapter 95 of the tariff, toys, games and sports requisites, is in the catch-all row of the Export Trade Control Order. METI permission is needed where METI specifies the case, or notifies the exporter, because the goods may be used for weapons.
      How do I get a certificate of origin for toys made in Japan?
      From a chamber of commerce. Chambers across Japan issue ordinary certificates of origin from the commercial invoice; they certify the country of origin, not the place of production within Japan.
      Can Japanese toys be exported under the Japan-EU EPA?
      If they meet the agreement's rules of origin. The Japan-EU EPA uses self-certification: the exporter, producer or importer makes the origin statement.
      Is consumption tax charged on toys 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 I keep export records in Japan?
      Books and documents such as contracts, invoices and packing lists are kept for 5 years from the day after the export permit, under the Customs Act.
      Does Japan Customs check other laws when toys are exported?
      Yes. Where another law requires a permit, approval or inspection for the goods, the exporter shows Customs it has been met, and Customs does not permit the export until it is confirmed (Customs Act, Article 70).
      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

      No card, no account, and no call to book. Tell us what you make and where you sell it, and we will come back to you.

      Get in touch