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GOODS ACROSS BORDERS

ITEM RULE · TRAVELING

RESTRICTED

Meat Products 🇯🇵 Japan

VERIFIED · 2026-07-05NOT YET GRADED

Strict animal quarantine; most meat prohibited

ANSWER

Can I bring Meat Products into Japan?

RESTRICTEDVERIFIED · 2026-07-05

Strict animal quarantine; most meat prohibited

QUANTITY / LIMITS

Only from MAFF-approved origins

DOCUMENTS

  • Quarantine declaration

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

customs.mof.go.jp
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full details

Japan's Animal Quarantine Service enforces strict controls on meat imports. Most meat from most countries is prohibited due to BSE, foot-and-mouth, and avian influenza concerns. Only meat from MAFF-approved facilities in approved countries is accepted. All meat products must be declared.

PENALTIES

  • Fine: 100000–5000000 JPY
  • Civil penalty only

Leaving Japan with meat products

RESTRICTEDMeat products for personal consumption may face export limits from Japan for animal-health documentation reasons; commercial quantities require an Export Health Certificate.

Personal-use quantities of processed, cooked, or shelf-stable meat products (jerky, cured meats, canned meats) may generally be exported from Japan for personal consumption; destination-country biosecurity restrictions on arrival are typically the binding constraint. Raw meat, poultry, and offal require a veterinary-issued Export Health Certificate for commercial or above-personal-use export. Many destinations (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, US, EU) restrict or prohibit personal-import of raw and cooked meat regardless of origin-side export permissions.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Declare all meat products. Most will be confiscated unless from approved origins.

OFFICIAL SOURCES · VERIFIED 2026-07-05

RULE DETAILS

QUANTITY LIMITS

Only from MAFF-approved origins

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

  • Quarantine declaration

LEGAL REFERENCE

Animal Quarantine Law

AIR TRAVEL IS SEPARATE

This page covers destination customs rules in Japan. Whether you can carry meat products through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.

Related rules

Meat Products rules in other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES46UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-07-26MethodologyChangelog