Exporting olive oil to Japan. The duty is zero, the label isn't.
Japan charges no duty on olive oil to anyone. The game is played on the Japanese label, which is the importer's.
The Japanese duty on olive oil is zero for everyone. In the Japanese customs tariff as of 1 April 2026 extra virgin olive oil (1509.20), virgin olive oil (1509.30 and 1509.40), other olive oils (1509.90) and pomace oil (1510) have the general rate at «Free». On the duty, the proof of origin changes nothing.
The label goes in Japanese, and the importer is responsible for it. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government lists the items for imported processed foods: name, ingredients, additives, best-before date, storage, five nutrition values, country of origin, importer.
Every import is notified to the Ministry of Health. Article 27 of the Japanese Food Sanitation Act requires anyone importing food for sale to notify the Minister on each import.
This page is part of exporting olive oil, which covers the EU marketing standards and the main markets, and goes into detail on the Japanese market. Who pays transport and customs clearance is decided by the Incoterm written in the offer, as explained in Incoterms: who pays what.
How to export olive oil to Japan: what really counts
To export olive oil to Japan two things count, because there is no duty: the Japanese label with the mandatory items, which the importer is responsible for, and the food import notification the importer files on every import. The Italian mill's job is to give the importer the right data for both.
| Item | What Japan requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Duty | Zero on headings 1509 and 1510, for everyone. | Customs tariff as of 1 April 2026 |
| Food import notification | On every import, to the Ministry of Health. | Food Sanitation Act, art. 27 |
| Label | In Japanese, with the mandatory items and the five nutrition values. | Tokyo Metropolitan Government |
The duty on olive oil in Japan: zero, even without an agreement
Olive oil enters Japan duty-free, whatever the country of origin. In the Japanese customs tariff in force from 1 April 2026 the general rate for headings 1509.20, 1509.30, 1509.40, 1509.90 and 1510 is «Free». The European Union column also shows «Free», and adds nothing.
This is the main difference with wine in Japan, where zero applies only with the EU-Japan agreement proof of origin and the WTO rate is paid without it. For olive oil the proof of origin does not change the duty: if the importer asks for it, it is for other reasons, and it is worth asking which.
The Japanese label for olive oil: the mandatory items
To sell an imported processed food in Japan you need a Japanese label on the container or package, and the importer is responsible for it. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, in its guide for those preparing a Japanese label for the first time, lists the mandatory items and specifies that they also apply to food produced abroad.
| Item | What to write | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The product name. | In Japanese, like every item. |
| Ingredients and additives | Additives separated from ingredients. | For a pure oil the list is short. |
| Best-before date and storage | Date in year, month, day order; storage conditions. | The date is written in Japanese order. |
| Nutrition values | Energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium expressed as salt equivalent. | Small operators meeting the legal criteria are exempt. |
| Origin and importer | Country of origin; importer's name and address. | The importer is responsible for the label. |
There are five nutrition values: energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate and sodium, the last expressed as salt equivalent. The same guide states that small operators meeting the criteria of the consumption tax law or the basic law on small and medium enterprises may omit them.
The Japanese label is added to the European base of olive oil marketing standards, described in the olive oil pillar page. The differences between markets are in the export label, market by market.
The food import notification for every import
Anyone importing food into Japan for sale notifies the Minister of Health on each import, as required by Article 27 of the Food Sanitation Act. The importer files the notification, but the product data, from composition to process, come from the mill.
«Those who wish to import food, food additives, apparatus, containers and packaging for sale or for use in business, shall notify the Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare on each occasion» (Japanese Ministry of Health, Food Sanitation Act, art. 27)
The template, to download
One file, one sheet: the olive oil checklist for Japan, with the source next to each line and a drop-down status to fill in. The Japanese label items are one per line, so the importer's draft can be checked item by item before printing.
| File | What it contains | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil in JapanExcel, one sheet | Twelve lines: duty, food import notification, the Japanese label items. |
The files are free. There is no form in front of them, we don't ask for an address and we receive no notification when someone downloads them. The sheet does not translate the label: the Japanese draft is prepared and signed by the importer.
Questions and answers
How much duty does olive oil pay in Japan?
Zero. In the Japanese customs tariff as of 1 April 2026 headings 1509.20 (extra virgin), 1509.30 and 1509.40 (virgin), 1509.90 (other olive oil) and 1510 (pomace oil) have the general rate at Free, whatever the country of origin.
Unlike wine, for olive oil the EU-Japan agreement proof of origin does not change the duty.
Does olive oil sold in Japan need a Japanese label?
Yes. To sell an imported processed food in Japan you need a Japanese label on the container or package, and the importer is responsible for it. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says so in its guide to Japanese labels.
The mandatory items are name, ingredients and additives, best-before date, storage, nutrition values, country of origin, and the importer's name and address.
Which nutrition values go on the Japanese label?
Five: energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate and sodium expressed as salt equivalent.
Small operators that meet the criteria of the consumption tax law or the basic law on small and medium enterprises may omit them, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government guide.
Who files the food import notification for olive oil in Japan?
The importer. Article 27 of the Japanese Food Sanitation Act requires anyone importing food for sale to notify the Minister of Health on each import.
The product data, from composition to process, are supplied by the mill.
Do you need a proof of origin to export olive oil to Japan?
Not for the duty, because the Japanese general rate on olive oil is already zero. If the importer asks for it, it is for other reasons, and it is worth asking which.
For wine, by contrast, the EU-Japan agreement proof of origin is what brings the duty to zero.
Notes on sources
- Japan Customs, tariff in force from 1 April 2026, chapter 15, headings 1509.20, 1509.30, 1509.40, 1509.90 and 1510: general rate and European Union column, read cell by cell.
- Japanese Ministry of Health (MHLW), imported foods: Article 27 of the Food Sanitation Act. The quotation is taken verbatim from the English version.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government, guide to Japanese labels for imported processed foods: mandatory items, nutrition values, small operator exemption, importer's responsibility.
- The sources were read on 25 September 2026. The translations are Itria's and have no official value.
In Japan the first question is the draft label.
The importer signs it, you give them the data. Having it ready before the offer shortens the negotiation. With Itria we start from the outside to build custom digital systems for exporters. For you that translates into more requests, fewer losses and less manual work. Write us a line about what weighs on you. We take the first step: what a buyer sees when they look you up, and what we found there. Even if we don't end up working together.