Plants, etc. imported from a foreign country are subject to quarantine for inspection in accordance with the provisions of the Plant Protection Law.

  Also, the Law prohibits importation of certain plants, insects, harmful animals and plants such as ticks and germs, soils and plants with soils, etc. shipped from or transported via certain designated districts, unless specially authorized for importation by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on the grounds that they are to be used for experimental or research purposes.

  All of above-mentioned import goods are unconditionally subject to official inspection at a quarantine, regardless of whether they are imported in the form of regular freight, hand baggage, international parcel post or other, and regardless of their import volume or import purposes such as for a gift, personal consumption, etc.

  However, the Law also provides that inspections under the Plant Protection Law are not necessary for processed articles such as lumbers, timbers through preservative treatment, woodwork, bamboo work, furniture and fixtures, etc., rattan, corks, hemp sacks, cotton, tea manufacture, dried bamboo shoot, dried fruits such as dried apricots, figs, persimmons, etc.

  For importing those quarantine-required plants, etc., it is necessary to submit to the customs "Certificate of passing plant inspections," "License for plants importation" which have been issued by a Plant Protection Station on the basis of inspection results, and obtain the customs’ confirmation on them.
   
 For those quarantine-required plants, etc. to be imported in the form of parcel post or hand baggage, the customs will confirm a seal of “Certification of passing plant inspections” which should be stamped by a Plant Protection Station on the imported plants, etc. or their container/package.

(Article 70 of the Customs Law, item 1, section 3, paragraph 70 of the General Notification of the Customs Law, Articles 7 and 8 of the Plant Protection Law and Article 19 of the Cabinet Order for Enforcement of the Plant Protection Law)

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