Japan Tariffs

Japan's average MFN tariff rate is 4.3%, but that headline number misleads. Agricultural products face rates of 30–700%, and the tariff schedule has over 9,000 line items, many with conditional rates. The US-Japan Trade Agreement signed in 2019 reduced duties on about $7 billion in US agricultural exports, but industrial goods outside the agreement still pay MFN rates. Japanese customs applies strict country-of-origin rules, and a misclassified HS code at the Tokyo port can mean detention and re-examination. We cover the Japan Customs tariff schedule, agreement preferential rates, and the HS chapters where classification disputes are most common.