Japan, EU Clarify Import Requirements Under New Agreement

Japanese and European Union officials in late June clarified certain provisions of the EU-Japan economic partnership agreement for a “smoother and more efficient implementation” of the agreement, according to a July 19 notice from KPMG and a July 17 notification from Japan Customs. The agreement was intended to simplify the import declaration provision of the agreement “by which preferential tariff treatment is claimed in Japan,” KPMG said. Among the changes are provisions that say importers are not required to provide an “additional explanation … concerning the originating status of the product if not available to the importer” and that the “absence of an explanation, in addition to the statement on origin, will not lead to a rejection of the claim or a denial of the preferential tariff treatment” under the agreement. KPMG said the changes “could help address some of the administrative burden and associated trade barriers” between the two countries.