Japan places import ban on one person for importing clams without a licence

24 March 2026

Japan has imposed an import ban on one person who breached the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act by importing clams from North Korea via China and South Korea. The import of all goods originating from North Korea has been banned in Japan since 2006. Wang Tianyuan has been banned from importing all cargo into Japan for 3 years, until March 2029. He has also been banned from becoming an officer of any business importing cargo into Japan.

The action was taken under Article 53(2) and (3) of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, which allows Japan to impose import prohibitions for up to three years.

See our Japan pages for more information on the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act and Japanese enforcement.