Export pet food & feed to Japan: rules, labels and duty
Rules to check before you export pet food & feed to Japan (3), each with its official source.
Official sources checked between 2026-10-09 and 2026-10-15
Duty and FTAs: No Korea–Japan FTA: the RCEP rate (Korea column) needs an RCEP certificate of origin. customs.go.jp, checked 2026-10-09
This is not legal or tax advice. Rules and rates change, so confirm with the official source and a local authority, your importer or an expert before you sell.
- Main rule for pet food & feed: Pet Food Safety Act: importer notification and Japanese labels for dog and cat food (name, ingredients, best-before date, importer, origin); animal-quarantine checks for meat-based products. maff.go.jp, checked 2026-10-09
- Japan animal quarantine for pet treats with meat: Pet treats made with chicken, duck or beef are designated quarantine items in Japan, and Korea is in the prohibited region for poultry and cloven-hoofed animal meat. They can enter only with a Korean government certificate that they were heat-treated to at least 121.1 °C at the core for 3 minutes (rule in force from 1 Jul 2026), or, for poultry, cooked to 70 °C at the core for 1 minute at one of the few Korean plants Japan has designated. Freeze-dried treats and jerky are not exempt; retort pet food and extruded dry kibble are. Ask Japan's Animal Quarantine Service with the ingredient list and process before you ship, samples included. Done with your importer · maff.go.jp, checked 2026-10-15
- Japan Pet Food Safety Act (dog and cat food): Dog and cat food sold in Japan falls under the Pet Food Safety Act: the Japanese importer of record notifies the agriculture and environment ministries (through its regional agriculture office) before it starts importing and keeps import records for 2 years; a maker that produces only abroad does not notify. The Japanese label must show the product name, ingredients, best-before date, the name and address of the maker, importer or seller, and the country of origin. Your importer does it · maff.go.jp, checked 2026-10-15
- Applies to every product here: Japan: consumption tax on cross-border sales
- Applies to every product here: Japan: ‘No.1’ and satisfaction claims need a fair survey
- Open the checklist
- Work out the export price
- Same product, other countries: United States
- Same country, other products: Cosmetics
- Same country, other products: Instant noodles & pasta
- Same country, other products: Food supplements & preparations
- Same country, other products: Toys
- Same country, other products: Leather apparel & accessories
- Sources: maff.go.jp, checked 2026-10-09
- Sources: maff.go.jp, checked 2026-10-15
- Sources: maff.go.jp, checked 2026-10-15
- Sources: customs.go.jp, checked 2026-10-09
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