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Trade-related issues are the responsibility of a number of ministries and agencies, mainly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), as specified under the various laws establishing relevant ministries and agencies. Other ministries and agencies with responsibility for sectoral issues involved in trade policy formulation and implementation are the ministries of: Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries; Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Environment

Under Article 69-11 of the Customs Law, Japan prohibits imports of certain products. For reasons of national security, safeguarding consumer health and well-being, preserving domestic plant and animal life and the environment, imports of narcotics, certain weapons, and animals or plants listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species; of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), may be prohibited or subject to import licensing. Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law governs import licensing procedures (Chart III.3). In addition, some commodities, including certain fish, are subject to import quotas

Items requiring import approval include weapons and other items from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as per United Nations Security Council resolution. At present, products that require import approval or are prohibited include: certain marine products, medicines and chemical products, propellant powders, nuclear goods, weapons, animals and plants, substances that deplete the ozone layer, specified hazardous wastes, waste chemical weapons goods, alcohol, rough diamonds, cultural property illegally removed from Iraq, all goods from North Korea, weapons and other items related to nuclear programmes or ballistic missile programmes from Iran, and weapons and other items from Eritrea. Licences to import are issued free of cost.

Japan continues to use quantitative restrictions on imports (import quotas); according to the authorities the quotas adhere to the WTO Agreements. Products subject to import quotas (unchanged since 2010) include: certain fish products and controlled substances listed in the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Japan has in place a system of prior confirmation to collect data on certain imports. The system is intended to ensure that these imports are for specific uses, and to verify documentation and origin requirements. Prior confirmation is required from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, or other relevant minister; some items require confirmation from Customs. The system is used, inter alia, for goods where fraudulent declarations have been found in the past or are deemed more high risk. These include: vaccine of microbial origin for experimental use; uranium catalysts; specified foreign cultural property; tuna; marlin; whales; psychotropics; poppy and hemp seeds; certain substances listed in the Montreal Protocol; radioisotopes; diamonds; and various other chemicals and pharmaceutical products.

Under the provisions of the Japan Agricultural Standards Law (JAS Law), international standards (such as Codex) must be "taken into account" before establishing or revising JAS. As a result the authorities do refer to relevant international standards when establishing or revising JAS. Furthermore, under the JAS Law, there are mandatory technical standards, such as quality labelling standards and JAS for organically produced products, as well as voluntary standards. During the period under review, quality labelling standards (mandatory standards) for 44 products were revised, while 19 voluntary standards have been revised since 2010. The JAS for organic plants and organic processed foods, which are mandatory standards, were revised in March 2012.

Food labelling in Japan is governed by the JAS Law and the Food Sanitation Law. Under the provisions of the JAS law, 52 mandatory labelling standards for food are currently in force. These include: cross-category quality labelling standards for processed foods, fresh foods, and genetically modified foods, and individual quality labelling standards. Food that contains additives must also be labelled with the additives included. Imported processed food does not require labelling of place of origin of the ingredients, which is mandatory for domestically produced processed food. All organic plants and organic processed foods to be sold in Japan must comply with the JAS organic standards and carry the JAS organic mark.

The authorities stated that the labelling system of organic plants and organic processed foods under the JAS law was to be amended in spring 2012. The changes have been notified to the WTO.

The authorities stated that Japan has amended its safety and environmental regulations for road vehicles to align them with regulations under the UN Agreement dealing with the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be fitted and/or be used on Wheeled Vehicles (1958 Agreement).

Japan maintains export controls on grounds of national security and public safety and to preserve natural resources in accordance with international agreements (such as CITES).