7th Report of Market Access Ombudsman Council (March 18, 2002)

7-(6) Extension of work hours for customs offices

1. Complainant: Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry

2. Ministry concerned: Ministry of Finance

3. Complaint:

For an importer who wants to carry out import procedures on holidays, at night or outside normal customs office hours (8:30-17:00), the overtime service system is available. However, the importer has to make an application for extended hours of operation within the regular working hours of the customs and pay fees for overtime customs service.
Instead of the overtime service system, the working hours should be extended so that import procedures can be made 24 hours a day. In particular, at ports and airports, where many import procedures are handled, a system of 24-hour operations for import procedures should be adopted promptly.

4. Corresponding Policy of the Ministries concerned:

(1) Where customs is concerned, if there is a request for import procedures at night, on Saturday, Sunday, or holidays, necessary officials are staffed upon application based on Article 98 of the Customs Law.

(2) At customs offices that receive many requests for import procedures outside of regular working hours, customs staff are on duty even after regular working hours.
(Reference)
Customs offices where staff are on duty even after regular working hours:
Tokyo Customs, Narita Air Cargo Terminal: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Osaka Customs, Kansai Airport customs branch: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Moji Customs, Shimonoseki customs branch: 365 days a year (8:30-17:00)
Nagoya Customs, Nagoya Airport customs branch: 365 days a year, until last flight (8:30-21:30)
Tokyo Customs, Haneda Airport, Tokyo Air Cargo Terminal: Weekdays until 20:00, Saturday 8:30-17:00

5. Remarks
The complainant accepted this policy.