Japan: Tighter controls on the influx of counterfeit goods

Goods that infringe on trademark rights are subject to confiscation by the Japan Customs and Tariff Bureau (CTB), which is an internal bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Finance. Currently however, because only “the act having a business nature” constitutes an infringement of trademark rights, the act of importing counterfeit goods for “personal use” does not constitute an infringement. Therefore, goods imported for personal use are currently not subject to confiscation by Japan customs.