Japanese laws regulate importing explosives and nuclear fuel material as shown below.
Explosives
Any person who intends to import gunpowder shall obtain permission from the prefectural governor (Article 24.1 of Explosives Control Act), and shall notify the prefectural governor to that effect without delay after importation (Paragraph 3 of the same article).
In addition, after importation, the company is obliged to conduct stability tests and report the results to the prefectural governor (Article 36).
Nuclear Fuel Materials
The import of nuclear fuel materials is regulated as shown in the following table.
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Radioisotope1 (Exceeding standard2) |
・(1) Licensed radioisotope users and (2) notified dealers and notified leasing companies are allowed to import. ・When importing, a permit copy and documents proving sale/lease are required3. |
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Radioisotope (Below Standard) |
・(1) Companies notified of the use of radioisotopes and (2) companies notified of the sale/lease of radioisotopes are allowed to import. ・When importing, a copy of the certificate of use and documents proving the business of sale or lease are required. |
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Law Concerning the Regulation of Nuclear Source Materials, Nuclear Fuel Materials and Reactors |
Nuclear fuel materials (Plutonium, uranium, thorium, and their compounds,) |
・Import approval is required under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law. ・For transporting nuclear fuel materials/materials contaminated by nuclear fuel materials, necessary safety measures must be taken in accordance with the Nuclear Regulation Law (Article 59, Section 1 of the Act). In addition, you must obtain confirmation from the Nuclear Regulation Authority when it is particularly necessary to prevent disasters caused by contaminated materials and protect specific nuclear fuel materials (Paragraph 2 of the same Article, Article 48 of the Order). ・A person entrusted with storing nuclear fuel materials is required to take necessary security measures in accordance with technical standards(Article 60). |
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Specific nuclear fuel materials (Plutonium, uranium-233, enriched uranium and its compounds) |
・Import approval is required under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law. ・When transporting, the person responsible for transporting the material must be identified, measures must be taken to ensure that the prescribed arrangements are concluded, and confirmation must be obtained from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Article 59.2).
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1 The term “radioisotopes” refers to “radiation-emitting isotopes, their compounds, and their contents (including those installed in equipment). The term “radioisotopes” refers to “radiation-emitting isotopes and their compounds and their contents (including those installed in equipment). However, it does not include “nuclear fuel materials” and “nuclear source materials” in the Atomic Energy Basic Law (see Article 1 of the Enforcement Order).
2 The quantity of radiation-emitting isotopes is specified in the “Law Concerning the Determination of the Quantity, etc. of Radiation-Emitting Isotopes.
3 Input Note 12 No. 177.
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