The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) entered into force on January 1, 2020. In this agreement, Japan committed to provide substantial market access for the United States by phasing out most tariffs, enacting meaningful tariff reductions, or allowing a specific quantity of imports at a lower duty. Following implementation of USJTA, over 90 percent of U.S. food and agricultural products imported into Japan are now duty free or receive preferential tariff access. The full text of the agreement and factsheets are available on the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) website. Please note Japan requires that importers make claims for preferential tariff treatment under the USJTA by the time of importation.
USDA Japan has developed a series of product briefs which provide concise overviews of how USJTA affects certain product groups. Please note that the tables only include information on products included in the agreement and that the information provided is not fully comprehensive and additional details may be found in the agreement text itself.
Tariff treatment for agricultural products under the USJTA is searchable on the USDA Agricultural Tariff Tracker. Select “Japan” from the FTA Partner drop down menu. Products are searchable by tariff code or commodity name. Alternatively, exporters can review Japan’s current tariffs on U.S. products in Japan’s official Customs Tariff Schedule. Please note that Japan Customs will make the final determination at the time of import regarding tariff code classification, country of origin, and applicable tariff rate(s) for imported products.
Products which are wholly-obtained or produced in the United States will generally qualify for preferential tariff treatment under USJTA. Products using materials from other countries may also qualify depending on the type of product and tariff code classification. For many of these products, the default rule is a change in tariff classification at the Chapter or 2-digit level (e.g. HS 10 grain to HS 11 flour) occurring in the United States. Products with different rules are described in Annex 1 of the agreement text. At the time of import, Japan Customs requires Japanese importers to submit a declaration affirming product origin. In some cases, U.S. exporters may submit supplemental information directly to Japan Customs, however the initial declaration must come from the importer. Additional information is available on the Japan Customs website and in the FAS/Tokyo GAIN report on USJTA Rules of Origin.
For some products, preferential market access will be provided through the creation of CSQs, which provide access for a specified quantity of imports from the United States at a preferential tariff rate, generally zero. Products with CSQs include wheat, malt, processed cheese, whey, glucose and fructose, corn and potato starch, mixes and doughs, and inulin. The following tables provide up-to-date information on CSQ fill rates for current and past Japanese fiscal years (JFY).
This agreement provides for the limited use of safeguards which allow for temporary tariff increases when imports surpass a predetermined trigger level. Japan will have safeguards for beef, pork, whey, oranges, and racehorses. The following tables provide up-to-date information on safeguard trigger levels and applicable trade volumes for current and past Japanese fiscal years (JFY).
