2001 What are articles prohibited from importation? (FAQ) : Japan Customs

Goods prohibited from importation under the Customs Tariff Law include the following articles in eleven categories.

1.	Narcotics, psychotropic drugs, cannabis, poppy straw and utensils for smoking stimulants or cannabis.
2.	Pistols, rifles, machine guns, cannons and their bullets and pistol parts.
3.	Explosives
4.	Gunpowder, etc.
5.	Substances specified in paragraph 3, Article 2 of the Law on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Control of Specific Substances (hereinafter referred to as "Chemical Weapons Prohibition Law")
6.	First pathogen which provided for Article 6, paragraph 19, and Second pathogen which provided for Article 6, paragraph 20 about the law of the prevention of the infectious disease and the medical care for the patient of the infectious disease
7.	Forged or altered or imitated coins, currencies, bank notes, securities, and counterfeit cards
8.	Books, drawings, sculptures and other articles that are considered to injure public safety or morals
9.	Child pornography
10.	Articles which infringe patent rights, utility model rights, design rights, trademark rights, copyrights, copyrights-related rights, circuit layout rights, or breeder’s rights.
11.	Articles which constitute an act under Article 2, paragraph 1, item 1, 2, and 3 of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law.

    Of those articles, illegal drugs such as narcotics or stimulants, pistols, etc., explosives, gunpowder, etc. specific substances stipulated in the Chemical Weapons Prohibition Law, counterfeit currencies, etc. and articles infringing patent rights, and articles constituting and act under Article 2, paragraph 1, item 1, 2, and 3 of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law etc. may be confiscated and discarded or shipped back at the importer’s expense by orders of the Director-General of regional customs. (As for those articles considered to infringe patent rights, and to constitute an act under Article 2, paragraph 1, item 1, 2, and 3 of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law etc., their title owner and importer will be informed of the orders, and determination of whether the article actually infringes patent rights, etc. or not will be made.)

  As for those articles considered to injure public safety and morals and child pornographies, the importer is supposed to be informed that his/her goods are prohibited articles.

  Besides the above-mentioned articles prohibited under the Customs Tariff Law, there are other prohibited articles under the Plant Protection Law or the Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control Law. Importers should know about this.

(Article 69-11 to 69-20 and Article 70 of the Customs Law)