---
title: "Full Process Analysis of Japan Food Import Customs Declaration Agency - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the supervision of Japan food imports into China continues to tighten，with radioactive substance testing，label compliance review and access list management forming the three core thresholds. Zhongshen has been engaged in Japan trade for two decades，having handled over 3,000 batches of food clearance cases. We have established pre-examination mechanisms in major source areas such as Minato Ward，Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture，and through advance document review and port rapid response system，w..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/japan-food-import-customs-agent.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-07-06"
dateModified: "2026-07-06"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/8wwa9a1pqkzfz.webp"
---

# Full Process Analysis of Japan Food Import Customs Declaration Agency

## Regulatory Environment and Practical Difficulties of Japan Food Import

In 2026,food categories imported from Japan to China cover 12 major types including snack foods,functional beverages,infant complementary foods and frozen aquatic products,with annual declaration batches exceeding 18,000.The three major source areas of Tokyo Metropolis,Osaka Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture account for 73% of the import volume.However,the complex regulatory system has deterred most enterprises.The format of the Certificate of Eligibility for Export issued by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is adjusted slightly every year,and the limited standards for food additives set by the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare (MHLW) differ from domestic Chinese standards.Since the Fukushima nuclear accident,radioactive substance testing has become a mandatory inspection item for each shipment.In the cases handled by Manager He in Q4 2025,17% of orders were rejected by customs due to inconsistencies between the Japanese Romaji spelling of the manufacturing plant address on the certificate of origin and the archived records of the Chinese side.Such detailed issues are often the pitfalls that enterprises’ self-established import teams are most likely to overlook.

![2026 Japan Food Import Quarantine New Regulations Response Guide](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/8wwa9a1pqkzfz.webp)

Zhongshen’s Japan business team has full-time Japanese customs clerks who can directly communicate with Japanese exporters about document details.We have established a dynamically updated Japan Food Regulatory Elements Database,covering policy differences of source areas across 47 prefectures,comparison of Chinese and Japanese standards for 195 common food additives,and document review preferences of 8 port customs.This system has improved the accuracy rate of the document pre-examination process to 98.7%,avoiding detention fees and storage costs caused by document defects after the goods arrive at the port.

## Document Pre-examination: Advance Risk Identification

The document system for Japan food imports has distinct regional characteristics.Take baked goods exported from Tokyo as an example: in addition to conventional contracts,invoices and packing lists,a Certificate of Origin Determination issued by Japan Customs must be provided,rather than a general Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) certificate of origin.Starting from March 2026,the Shanghai Port additionally requires tea products from central Japan to provide a Statement of No Radioactive Substance Detection,which must be certified by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE),a national research and development corporation of Japan.Manager He’s team once handled a shipment of matcha powder shipped from Nagoya Port,Aichi Prefecture.The exporter mistakenly used the 2025 old version of the NITE certification,and the goods were detained at Yangshan Port for 11 days.

### Core Document List and Review Key Points

- **Official Certificates of Exporting Country**: The Export Food Hygiene Certificate issued by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries or Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare.It is necessary to check whether the certificate number is within the valid period and whether the product description covers the commodity scope corresponding to the declared HS code.
- **Manufacturing Plant Registration Information**: The plant name,address and registration number must be completely consistent with the List of Overseas Food Manufacturing Enterprises Registered by the General Administration of Customs of China,including the spelling specifications of Japanese kanji,hiragana and Romaji.
- **Radiation Testing Documents**: For food produced in 12 designated prefectures (Gunma,Tochigi,Ibaraki,Miyagi,Niigata,Nagano,Saitama,Tokyo,Chiba,Fukushima,Yamagata,Iwate),official Japanese recognized radioactive substance test reports must be provided,and the test items shall include at least Cesium-134 and Cesium-137.
- **Chinese Label Sample**: Design review must be completed before the goods are shipped,to ensure that the names of food additives in the ingredient list comply with the naming rules of China’s National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB2760-2026).

Zhongshen’s document pre-examination service adopts a "dual-track review system".The first track is a completeness check conducted by Japanese customs clerks against the original documents provided by Japanese exporters; the second track is a compliance review conducted by senior customs declarers based on the latest regulatory requirements of Chinese ports.From January to April 2026,this mechanism identified a total of 324 potential risk points,including 7 major risks related to the over-range use of food additives,all of which were rectified before the goods departed from the port.

## Port Customs Declaration: Accurate Classification and Tariff Application

There are many easily confused items in the HS code classification of Japanese food.For example,functional beverages containing specific health ingredients may be classified under tariff code 2106.9090 (other n.e.s.food) or 2202.9900 (other non-alcoholic beverages),with a 5 percentage point difference in their most-favored-nation (MFN) tariff rates.What’s more complicated is that under the RCEP agreement in 2026,the number of zero-tariff food categories originating from Japan has expanded to 283,but enterprises must provide an automatic origin declaration that complies with Order No.255 of the General Administration of Customs.Manager He once helped an importer reclassify a shipment of Japanese-style flavored syrup from the original high-tariff code to 1702.9000 (other syrups),saving approximately 47,000 yuan in taxes for a single shipment.

### Comparison of Regulatory Requirements for Different Food Categories

![Difficulties and Solutions for Japan Snack and Beverage Import Clearance](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/2c1px0Ug4b4DC.webp)

| Food Category | Main HS Code Range | Regulatory Documents | Port Inspection Rate | Special Requirements |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Baked Pastries | 1905.3100-1905.9000 | Entry Goods Clearance Form | 15%-20% | For products with milk ingredients,a Dairy Hygiene Certificate must be provided |
| Seasoning Sauces | 2103.1000-2103.9090 | Entry Goods Clearance Form | 25%-30% | Allergen labeling is required for seafood ingredients |
| Frozen Aquatic Products | 0303.1100-0303.8900 | Entry Goods Clearance Form + Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit | 40%-50% | Must be included in the Access Evaluation List |
| Infant Complementary Foods | 1901.1000-1901.9000 | Entry Goods Clearance Form + Registration Certificate for Special Medical Purpose Formula Food | Over 60% | Label must indicate age range |

Zhongshen’s customs declaration system is connected to the General Administration of Customs’ Commodity Classification Decision Database,which can retrieve administrative ruling cases of Japanese food classification in the past five years in real time.For RCEP rules of origin,we have developed an intelligent judgment tool that can quickly issue an origin qualification assessment report by entering 12 parameters such as the product’s FOB price,raw material proportion and processing procedures.In Q1 2026,68% of declaration forms enjoyed tariff preferences under the RCEP agreement,saving customers a total of more than 2.3 million yuan in taxes.

## Commodity Inspection: Label Compliance and Sampling Inspection

The commodity inspection link is the core gateway for food imports.In 2026,the Shanghai Port implements the "Three Verification" principle for Chinese label inspection of Japanese food: verify whether the label content is consistent with the archived sample,verify whether the ingredient list order matches the decreasing order of actual addition amount,and verify whether the nutritional label complies with the rounding interval rules of the General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (GB 28050-2026).In a batch of Japanese-style potato chips handled by Manager He in November 2025,the label listed "edible salt" before "potatoes",which was judged as a false statement of the ingredient list,and the entire batch of goods was required to be returned.

Zhongshen has established a pre-inspection service center in the Pudong Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone.Before the goods arrive at the port,customers can submit the original Japanese labels and the planned Chinese labels to us for simulated review by professionals qualified for National Food Safety Standard evaluation.The key items we check include: whether the "no additives" statement on the original Japanese label involves false propaganda,whether functional ingredients exceed the scope allowed by Chinese regulations,and whether allergen substances are fully labeled (Japan requires labeling 7 categories,while China requires 8,with the difference being the subclassification of nuts).

Regarding sampling inspection,the average laboratory testing cycle for imported Japanese food in 2026 is 9 working days.Zhongshen has established a green inspection channel with the Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Control,and provides expedited testing for high-risk items such as radionuclides,preservatives and sweeteners,which can shorten the cycle to 5 working days.At the same time,we provide "Qualified Guarantee Insurance" service,and assist customers in filing claims with insurance companies for cargo losses caused by unqualified testing,reducing operational risks.

## Case Review: Full Process of Importing Hokkaido Scallops

In February 2026,a Shanghai food service supply chain enterprise entrusted Zhongshen to act as its agent for importing 20 tons of frozen Hokkaido scallops.During the document pre-examination stage,Manager He’s team found that the aquaculture area coordinates on the Aquatic Animal Health Certificate provided by the Japanese exporter had a 0.5-nautical-mile deviation from the archived overseas aquatic enterprise registration information of the Chinese side.We immediately coordinated with the Japanese exporter to apply to the Hokkaido Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries for certificate correction,and completed the replacement before loading,avoiding the risk of return due to inconsistent information after the goods arrived at the port.

After the goods arrived at Waigaoqiao Port,the customs control order required 100% unpacking inspection and sampling of 12 products for testing.Zhongshen’s on-site inspection assistants accompanied the inspection throughout the process,and found that one of the samples had minor packaging damage.We immediately activated the emergency mechanism: separately sealed the damaged sample and replaced it with inventory products from the same batch for testing,ensuring the accuracy of the test results.Finally,the batch of scallops completed customs clearance in 4 working days,entering the sales channel 3 days earlier than the customer’s expectation.The entire project saved customers approximately 18,000 yuan in detention fees and storage costs,and ensured the supply timeliness for downstream catering customers.

## Zhongshen’s Service Value and Efficiency Improvement

The customs declaration business for food imported from Japan is essentially a reflection of comprehensive capabilities in detail management and risk prediction.Zhongshen has built a service network and knowledge base covering major Japanese source areas through 20 years of data accumulation.Our value does not lie in simple document transfer,but in transforming regulatory requirements into executable operational standards and resolving potential risks before the goods are transported.In 2026,we launched the "Japan Food Import Housekeeper Service",which integrates customs declaration,commodity inspection,foreign exchange and tax refund into an integrated solution.Customers only need to contact one window to realize full-process visual management from Japanese factories to Shanghai warehouses.

For enterprises planning to expand their Japan food import business,choosing a professional customs declaration agency is essentially purchasing a compliance guarantee and efficiency insurance.Zhongshen’s Japan business team has an average of more than 8 years of working experience,familiar with the shipping rules of major ports such as Tokyo,Osaka and Nagoya,and understands the document review standards of ports such as Shanghai,Ningbo and Qingdao.This two-way experience allows us to find the optimal customs clearance path for customers in the complex regulatory environment and minimize the impact of uncertainty.

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