Bringing processed meat into Japan can be fined 200 million VND

Japan will strengthen penalties on visitors and people entering the country carrying meat products in an effort to enforce the Animal Infectious Disease Control Law of the Japanese Veterinary Quarantine Agency, starting April 22.

Accordingly, penalties for violations of this country's regulations will be applied more strictly. Violators can be fined up to 200 million VND or sentenced to up to 3 years in prison.

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According to information from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), many countries are currently experiencing livestock and poultry diseases, and it is difficult to obtain inspection certificates for sample products or personal consumption products, so most animal-based products, including meat products, cannot be brought into Japan.

JNTO also lists products derived from ungulates such as cows, pigs, goats, sheep, deer, horses, poultry, dogs, rabbits, and honeybees as subjects requiring animal quarantine. Among them, poultry meat can be mentioned as chicken, quail, pheasant, ostrich, guinea fowl, turkey, duck, goose, and other birds of the goshawk order.

Most animal products, including meat products, cannot be brought into Japan.

Sample products or personal consumption products cannot be brought into Japan without an inspection certificate from a government agency of the exporting country.

Import-prohibited products - import suspension and products without inspection certificates, even if packed in vacuum bags, cannot be brought into Japan.

The country's veterinary quarantine agency also recommends that tourists pay attention to the ingredients of ready-to-eat dried foods to avoid violating the new regulations.

According to JNTO, since the introduction of stricter regulations regarding the import of meat into Japan, the quarantine agency has detected a number of violations but initially only issued warnings and confiscated the goods. However, from April 22, the control will be implemented more strictly.

Japan is one of the destinations that attracts many Vietnamese tourists. According to JNTO, in the first two months of 2019, there were 74,000 Vietnamese tourists visiting this country.