Customs
About
Our Customs Practice is a subdivision of our Trade and Commerce Group. Our customs experts can seamlessly integrate all aspects of strategic customs planning and compliance with broader transfer pricing and corporate tax planning to optimize the operations of foreign multinational corporations that export goods and services to Japan. We know the rules and regulations and practical applications of Japanese customs laws, and integrate expertise in related areas, including competition law; trade regulations, such as export controls; trade remedies, such as antidumping actions; and indirect and excise taxes on goods imported into Japan. We handle regulatory work related to consumer protection, environmental and product safety regulations and local labelling certification, and we liaise closely with our tax, IP, commercial, regulatory and litigation practices to provide solutions to customs and trade challenges and issues. We have strong capabilities with regard to cross-border dispute cases that require special skills and expertise in dealing with complex customs and trade issues. Our team includes renowned customs experts, who has distinguished careers at the highest levels of of Japan Customs, Japan’s Finance Ministry and other government institutions. Where necessary, we can call on the expertise of more than 450 Trade and Commerce lawyers in more than three dozen nations that together comprise more than 80 percent of the world’s economic activity.
Specifically, our services include:
- Domestic customs law and practice
- Structuring sales to optimize customs treatment
- Importation arrangements into Japan to take into account customs and consumption tax for foreign multinationals
- Advising on and representation in customs appeals and disputes, including litigating customs matters in Japanese courts
- Advising on regulations affecting cross-border trade
- Customs classification, rules of origin, valuation
- Export controls and trade sanctions
- Trade remedies, antidumping and countervailing duty actions
- WTO and FTAs/EPAs
- Antitrust and competition law
Representative Experience
- Provided an international food company with legal advice in relation to customs clearance proceedings.
- Conducted a customs and VAT analysis for an international e-commerce company in relation to its cross-border e-commerce activities in Japan.
- Advised a Japanese auto component manufacturer on a customs classification matter involving the Thai customs office.
- Advised a Japanese manufacturing company on multi-country customs planning and minimization.
- Assisted an international aerospace corporation with its export control policy in Japan.
- Advised an energy company with respect to export control regulations on nuclear power technologies.
- Advised a Japanese heavy industry company with respect to export controls and trade sanctions concerning business with Russia.
