Japanese Customs has certain requirements that must be followed in order to assure trouble-free customs clearance into the country. Correctly marking and labeling products and/or containers/packaging are critical to smooth customs clearance in Japan. A brief summary of these requirements follows:

· Straw packing materials are prohibited.

· The Japanese Measurement Law requires that all imported products and shipping documents show metric weights and measures.

· For most products there is no requirement for country of origin labeling, though some categories, such as beverages and foods, do require such labeling. If labels indicating origin are later determined to be false or misleading, the labels must be removed or corrected. False or misleading labels which display the name of countries, regions or flags other than the country of origin, and/or names of manufacturers or designers outside the country of origin are not permissible.

Japanese law also requires labels for four other product categories:

· Textiles
· Electrical appliances and apparatus
· Plastic products
· Miscellaneous household and consumer goods

As the relevant regulations apply specifically to individual products, it is important for U.S. exporters to work with a prospective agent or importer to ensure the exporter’s product meets applicable requirements. Generally, most labeling laws are not required at the customs clearance stage, but at the point of sale. Consequently, it is most common for Japanese importers to affix a label before or after clearing customs.