Japan Seafood Import-Readiness Checklist: Shrimp, Squid, Trout and Nile Perch by Product and Origin

Which checks apply to which product

The table lists the checks a buyer should plan for each product line that currently reaches Japan from the five origins. 'Yes' means an official source applies the rule to that product; 'Check' means it depends on the exact product, origin or plant. No line in this table is an approval: admissibility is decided shipment by shipment.

• Japan sourcing map: what each origin ships

What each origin actually ships to Japan

Japan's own customs figures, reported to UN Comtrade (HS 2022, retrieved 25 October 2026), show very different starting points. A flow proves that some product cleared customs that year; it does not prove that a given supplier, plant or lot is admissible now.

Step 1 — The import notification

Under Article 27 of the Food Sanitation Act, the importer must notify the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare for every food imported for sale or business use. The notification goes to the quarantine station responsible for the place of clearance, on paper or electronically through FAINS, and MHLW accepts notifications from seven days before the scheduled arrival. The quarantine station decides whether the shipment is inspected.

Supporting documents depend on the product: an explanation of ingredients and processing for processed foods, a health certificate where one is required, and test reports where a product has its own standard. For fresh seafood the Tokyo Quarantine Station also asks for details such as the scientific name and any additives used.

1. Importer of record in Japan named before the contract — FishMatch Group and Global B2B Group never act as importer.
2. Scientific name of the species, product form and production method (farmed or wild) for each lot.
3. List of additives and processing aids used, including sulphites or phosphates.
4. Test reports for the lot where an inspection order or product standard applies.
5. Health certificate only where Japan requires one for that product and origin — MHLW names pufferfish and oysters for raw consumption; confirm other items with the quarantine station.

• General seafood import readiness: documents and cold chain

Step 2 — Residues, MRLs and additives

Japan sets residue standards for all pesticides, feed additives and veterinary drugs in food, under the positive list system. Where no specific limit is set for a substance and food, a uniform limit of 0.01 ppm applies. This matters most for farmed shrimp and fish, where antibiotics, antiparasitics and dyes used on farms can leave residues. Since 1 April 2024 food-standard setting has moved from MHLW to the Consumer Affairs Agency; check the current limit for each substance and food in the official standards.

Inspection orders are stricter. MHLW's list (Appendix 1, last amended 23 October 2026) requires furazolidone testing at every import of cultured shrimp from India other than black tiger, and its simply processed products. MHLW's monitoring plan can add enhanced checks for a country, product or named plant after a violation.

For additives, the MHLW use standard requires sulphites on shrimp to leave less than 0.10 g of sulphur dioxide per kilogram of peeled flesh.

Step 3 — Quota, catch certificate and live animals

Squid and cuttlefish are among the 18 fishery items under Japan's import quota system: each shipment needs a METI import approval against an allocated quota, held by the Japanese importer. Squid is also a Class II species under the Act on Ensuring the Proper Domestic Distribution and Importation of Specified Aquatic Animals and Plants, so imports need a catch certificate issued by the flag State's competent authority.

Live aquatic animals that can carry listed diseases — for example seed, fry or post-larvae for Japanese farms — need a MAFF import permit under the Fisheries Resources Protection Act. This guide covers seafood for food, not live stock.

• Squid to Japan: quota and catch certificate guide
• Farmed shrimp to Japan: residues and specification guide

Plant quarantine and phytosanitary certificates

MAFF's Plant Protection Station inspects plants that can carry plant pests. Fish, shrimp and squid are animals, so plant quarantine and phytosanitary certificates are not part of their Japanese import checks; their controls are the food-safety, quota and catch-documentation rules above. Seaweed is different: we did not find an official statement exempting every seaweed product, so treat seaweed as a separate check with MAFF.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, where phytosanitary certificates, plant quarantine and pesticide MRLs are central, are outside FishMatch's seafood and aquaculture scope; Global B2B Group handles produce requests.

Labelling for Japanese retail

Under the Consumer Affairs Agency's Food Labelling Standards, fresh seafood — including simply frozen seafood — must show the country of origin for imports, that it was farmed (養殖) if it was farmed, and that it was thawed (解凍) if it was frozen and then thawed for sale. Wild squid and Nile perch do not carry the 'farmed' statement; farmed shrimp and trout do. Agree with your importer who prepares the Japanese label and which facts the supplier must declare per lot.

Organic claims on seafood in Japan

Japan's Organic JAS system has a standard for algae but not for aquatic animals. MAFF's June 2026 handbook states that fishery products other than algae cannot carry the Organic JAS mark because no standard exists, and that because they are not designated products an organic name is not prohibited — but the claim must not mislead buyers. MAFF's EU equivalence arrangement (sheet dated 18 May 2025) covers agricultural products, JAS-defined livestock and processed foods, not farmed fish or shrimp.

FishMatch Group therefore describes farmed shrimp or fish as organic only when the producer holds a current organic certificate covering the species, production method and site, and the buyer's importer has confirmed how the claim may be used in Japan. Otherwise we describe specific sustainability attributes instead.

• Organic seafood collection and its evidence rules

How to request offers

Submit one request to Global B2B Group, FishMatch Group's parent, for consolidated sourcing across origins, supplier screening and logistics coordination. Buyers do not pay for the service, supplier communication goes through the team, and buyers and suppliers are not put in direct contact. Managed requests start at USD 250,000 in total. Neither company is the manufacturer, exporter, importer or certifier, and neither guarantees clearance, certification, prices or savings.

1. State species, form, size or count, glaze, packing, volume, frequency and the Japan port and delivery window.
2. Say which origins you will consider and whether the product must be farmed or wild.
3. Name the importer of record, or ask for importers to be included in the scope.

• Prefer an aquaculture-specific request? Send it through FishMatch

For producers and exporters

Producers and exporters in Latin America or Brazil who want to be considered for Japanese requests can apply in Spanish or Portuguese. Applications are reviewed privately and are not listed publicly; buyers never receive supplier contact details from us.

• Productores y exportadores: solicitud en español
• Produtores e exportadores: candidatura em português