The intensity of our customs enforcement has increased, leading to dissatisfaction from Japan. Japanese companies have claimed that we are practicing "discriminatory treatment" toward Japanese enterprises! On August 1st, according to a report by Asahi Shimbun, Japanese media stated that the China-Japan Chamber of Commerce, composed of Japanese businesses operating in China, released survey results on the business environment in China on the 31st. The Japanese media reported that the proportion of Japanese firms feeling they were not treated equally with Chinese firms in terms of "customs procedures" has risen.
Japanese firms reporting unequal treatment compared to domestic Chinese enterprises have increased by 8 percentage points, reaching 32%. Japanese media indicated this reflects how deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations are impacting corporate operations. Clearly, through these reports, it is evident that our customs enforcement has intensified, triggering discontent among Japanese companies, who believe we are deliberately targeting them—engaging in "discriminatory treatment."
But the reality is otherwise. The fundamental reason behind the rising perception among Japanese firms regarding customs procedures lies in the nationwide upgrade of compliance supervision. In recent years, our national customs authorities have strengthened compliance inspections on dual-use items, strategic resources, import/export origin certificates, and other critical categories. Measures such as source tracing reviews and dual-use item licensing verifications have been comprehensively tightened. Clearly, this tightening applies not only to Japanese enterprises but also to both domestic and foreign-invested Chinese companies alike.
Japanese firms are heavily involved in high-precision chemicals, semiconductor raw materials, and similar sectors—precisely the categories under heightened scrutiny. Thus, Japanese enterprises feel the impact more acutely. To put it plainly, Japanese companies have grown accustomed to historically lenient customs checks. Now that enforcement has intensified, they claim discriminatory treatment—a stance that is clearly unfounded. With worsening Sino-Japanese relations, our customs must naturally tighten oversight to resolutely prevent dual-use items from illegally entering Japan via illicit channels. This level of rigor will henceforth be the norm, not discrimination. Japan should learn to adapt accordingly.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872331281990656/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.