1. The regulatory position
Japan's pharmaceutical and chemical framework is administered by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, with the PMDA handling product-related matters. Genuinely research-use-only material supplied for in-vitro laboratory use is handled as a research chemical, and it is important that this is stated consistently on the labelling, the documentation and the invoice, with no therapeutic claim anywhere in the chain.
Any material presented with a medicinal claim, or intended for administration to people or animals, is a different regulatory pathway entirely, and one we do not supply into.
2. Customs, classification and duty
- Importer of record — requires a corporate number, a customs registration and the ability to lodge an import declaration through a customs broker
- Classification — research peptides generally fall under heading 2937 in the Japanese Customs Tariff. Your broker confirms the subheading and the WTO or preferential rate at the time of import
- Certificate of Origin — a valid certificate from a recognised Indian authority supports preferential treatment under the India–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, where the rules of origin are satisfied. Your broker should check the applicable measure against your HS code and origin
- Consumption tax — 10% on the CIF value plus duty, reclaimable by a registered importer
3. How clearance actually runs
Japanese import clearance is procedural and documentation-driven. The customs broker files the declaration, the customs officer inspects and assesses, and the release happens once the paperwork is confirmed complete. In practice:
- The invoice description must be specific and consistent with the other documents — a generic description triggers a query
- The CAS number should appear on the invoice, in the same form used in the Japanese tariff or the supplier's specification sheet
- The COA, SDS and Certificate of Origin should all reference the same batch or the same goods description
- Any inconsistency between documents is the most common cause of a hold
Our export documentation page sets out the full pack. The important discipline is that every document refers to the same material in the same terms.
4. What we issue for Japanese destinations
- Commercial invoice with CAS number, description and the RUO statement
- Batch Certificate of Analysis with chromatogram and mass spectrometry confirmation
- MSDS
- Certificate of Origin
- Packing list and airway bill
- Declaration of conformity to your specification
5. Institutional requirements
Japanese research institutions typically require the importing department to hold approval for the import of the specific class of material before the purchase order is placed, and then to complete an internal acceptance process on delivery. Start the approval conversation with your department's administration early — it is usually the long pole in a first shipment, not the customs side.
Related: export documentation · HS code and import duty · incoterms
B2B trade only — request a quote
All peptides are research-grade, for in-vitro use only, and supplied against a valid drug licence. Tell us your sequence, quantity and destination and the trade desk will respond within one business day.