- Japan is considering revising its de minimis customs threshold due to a surge in low-value e-commerce imports.
- The current threshold exempts goods under JPY 10,000 (about USD 60) from duties and taxes, but this has led to a tenfold increase in such imports and concerns over lost tax revenue and unfair competition for domestic retailers.
- New import declaration requirements were introduced in October 2025 to better track e-commerce shipments.
- A Ministry of Finance working group is reviewing four key exemption systems and considering reforms, including lowering or eliminating the threshold and adopting international models where foreign sellers collect taxes at the point of sale.
- The reforms aim to address practical challenges in customs procedures and ensure fair competition between domestic and foreign businesses.
Source: internationaltradecomplianceupdate.com
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
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