Japan Updates: Revision of Japan Customs Penalty Rules

December 2016 | Japan

Japan Customs has announced details on the revision of penalties imposed on additional customs duty and consumption tax, which will take effect for goods imported on and after January 1, 2017. Recent customs audit results show that the total value of inappropriate import declarations that was found during audits is increasing. The revision as well as the Customs audit results suggest that Customs is pushing importers to be more compliant and to voluntary file amended declarations, by applying stricter rules and audits. In this newsletter, we address Customs’ expectations of importers in Japan, major areas where we often find non-compliance, and what importers can do to be more compliant and to manage future risks.