| TOP |
| 5th Report of Market Access Ombudsman Council (March 17, 1998) |
1. Complainant: Tokyo Chamber of Commerce
2. Ministry concerned: Ministry of Finance
3. Complaint:
(1) Many of the types of import application documents resemble one another. These types should be simplified.
(2) When import declarations are made, a portion of unsigned invoices are accepted, but in consideration of EDI, this should be done for all via legal revision.
4. Corresponding Policy of the Ministries concerned:
(1) For general cargo other than postal matter, the importer or the like declares the necessary items to the director of the customs office and must receive permission by having the cargo undergo the necessary inspections (Article 67 of the Customs Law). However, efforts are being made to simplify and rationalize the appending of documents at the time of declaration.
For small-value cargo of ¥200,000 or less, simplification of clearance handling by simplifying the items, etc., specified on the application is approved, and a simple clearance system based on limit values is being introduced.
Customs authorities posted at the main government offices are available individually for importers, etc., to consult with.
(2) Introduction of EDI to each type of import procedure is currently under consideration, and because invoice format differs for each enterprise and inventory, immediate introduction of EDI is difficult. In keeping, for the time being, it is basically necessary to confirm signatures by having invoices (or copies of them) submitted.
5. Remarks
The complainant's opinion is as follows.
For "(1)" and "(2)": "I understand that this is the policy as it now stands."