National / Crime & Legal Jan 20, 2021
To stop the import of illegal drugs, Japan has already started testing a prototype nuclear quadrupole resonance device that uses AI to check X-rayed items and identify drug smuggling.
Business Mar 21, 2020
Tax agency bureaus in Japan on high alert for rise in consumption tax fraud
Tax authorities are preparing to act against a possible increase in abuses of a rule that exempts export transactions from sales levies following October's consumption tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent. The value-added tax is levied at each stage of distribution for goods ...
National Feb 13, 2020
Japanese customs authorities seized record amount of illegal drugs in 2019
The amount of illegal drugs seized by customs authorities hit a record in 2019 and topped 3 tons for the first time, government data showed Wednesday. The 3,318 kilograms seized in 1,046 cases, compared with 1,493 kg in 871 cases in 2018, was the result ...
National / Crime & Legal Mar 12, 2019
Canadian charged with smuggling record haul of stimulant drugs into Japan worth ¥1.8 billion
A Canadian man was charged Monday with attempting to smuggle about 30 kilograms of stimulant drugs through Narita airport, the biggest amount ever seized by Japanese customs authorities from a passenger's luggage. Jonathan Isabelle, 21, who was arrested on his arrival at the international airport ...
National / Crime & Legal Apr 23, 2018
Couple arrested at Tokyo's Haneda airport for attempting to smuggle meth worth ¥1.8 billion
A 43-year-old man and his 34-year-old wife have been arrested at Tokyo's Haneda airport on suspicion of smuggling methamphetamine with an approximate street value of ¥1.8 billion ($16.7 million), police and customs officials said Monday. The amount, about 30 kilograms, is the largest haul Japanese ...
National / Crime & Legal Nov 8, 2017
Japan may impose tougher penalties for gold smuggling, as rise in cases seen as 'tip of iceberg'
The government will consider stricter penalties for gold smuggling as attempts soar with offenders seeking to pocket the 8 percent consumption tax from transactions.
Business Mar 4, 2015
Customs officers intercepted a record 32,060 cases of fakes and other items violating intellectual property rights in 2014, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. The number, which increased 14.0 percent from 2013, marked a record high for the third straight year, the ministry said, adding that ...
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Jan 20, 2014
by Goldie Schwartz
Dina Isaacs, a 43-year-old divorced American mother of two, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for smuggling into Japan 17 kg of methamphetamines with a street value of more than $15 million — a crime she swears she did not willingly commit.
National Dec 24, 2013
Training drug-sniffing dogs Narita customs officer's window on world
by Asako Takaguchi
At a national training center near Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, Manato Kimura, 25, trains sniffer dogs to recognize the smell of illegal drugs and detect them hidden inside luggage at airports and seaports. "We get young dogs (aged around 1 year old) to ...
How-tos | LIFELINES Jun 18, 2013
Quickies on bringing in psychotropics and bags, calling Japan, buying shoes
by Louise George Kittaka
A variety of queries from readers have arrived at Lifelines over the last few weeks, so we'll address some of them in this column. • JL will be coming to Japan in the fall and wants to bring in several types of prescription psychotropic medication. ...
Culture | Japan Pulse Aug 10, 2009
by Felicity Hughes
August signals an onslaught of beetle wars in Japan, for both kids and grown-up kids.