Importing petroleum into Japan is regulated by the Oil Stockpiling Law and the Law Concerning the Quality Assurance of Petroleum Products, as shown in the following table.
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Oil Stockpiling Law |
Petroleum (refers to crude oil and designated petroleum products/ gasoline/kerosene/diesel oil/heavy oil1) |
・Business of petroleum import must be registered by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (Article 16). ・Upon customs clearance, a copy of the Oil Importer Registration Notice must be submitted2. ・Oil importers are required to notify the volume of imports every month(Article 36). ※Notification of petroleum refining business is required for petroleum refining (production of gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil, and heavy oil). Notification is required for oil sales above a certain scale. As for the transportation and storage of oil, it is necessary to pay attention to the standards for transportation of hazardous materials under the Fire Service Act. |
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Petroleum gas (=gas consisting mainly of propane gas and butane gas and their liquefied products) |
・Import business3 must notify the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in advance(Article 28). ・Importers are required to report monthly on the volume of imports (Article 36). |
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Law Concerning the Quality Assurance of Gasoline (Quality Assurance Law) |
Volatile Oil4 (Gasoline for automobiles) |
・Importers intending to sell or consume gasoline as fuel for motor vehicles, confirm that it conforms to the volatile oil standards (Article 17-4, Paragraph 1 of the Law). ・Importers shall notify without delay when they have imported gasoline for use as fuel for automobiles (Paragraph 4 of the same article).
※Sales gas stations, etc. require registration as business (Law 3)5 |
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Diesel oil6 (Light oil for diesel vehicles) |
・Importers intending to sell or consume diesel oil as fuel for motor vehicles, must confirm that it conforms to the diesel oil standard (Article 17-4, Paragraph 1 and Article 17-8, Paragraph 2). ・Importers shall notify without delay when they have imported diesel oil for use as fuel for automobiles (Article 17-4, Paragraph 4; Article 17-8, Paragraph 2). |
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Kerosene7 (Kerosene for oil stoves） |
・Importers intending to sell or consume kerosene as fuel for indoor combustion, must confirm that it conforms to the kerosene standard (Article 17-4, Paragraph 1 and Article 17-10, Paragraph 2). ・Importers shall submit a notification without delay when they import kerosene as fuel for indoor combustion (Article 17-4, Paragraph 4; Article 17-10, Paragraph 2). |
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Heavy oil8 (Heavy oil thermal power generation, ships.) |
・Importers intending to sell or consume heavy oil as fuel for ships must confirm that it conforms to the heavy oil standard (Article 17-4, Paragraph 1 and Article 17-12, Paragraph 2). ・Importers shall submit a notification without delay (Article 17-4, Paragraph 4 and Article 17-12, Paragraph 2). |
1 Gasoline has a boiling point (90% distillation temperature) of up to 180 degrees Celsius, and is used in automobiles. Kerosene has a boiling point of up to 270 degrees Celsius. And is used in oil stoves. Kerosene has a boiling point of up to 270 degrees Celsius and is used in oil stoves, etc. Diesel oil has a boiling point of up to 360 degrees Celsius and is used in diesel engines, etc. Heavy oil has a higher boiling point and is used for thermal power generation and ships.
2 The basic tax law is listed in Table 1.
3 Excluding Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation.
4 Volatile oils have a boiling point (distillation temperature) up to 180°C.
5 Gas stations must also comply with the Law Concerning Reporting, etc. of Releases to the Environment of Specific Chemical Substances and Promoting Improvements in Their Management (PRTR Law) and ordinances (Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance on Environmental Preservation, etc.).
6 Diesel oil has a boiling point of up to 360 degrees Celsius.
7 Kerosene has a boiling point of up to 270 degrees Celsius.
8 Heavy oil has a boiling point even higher than 360 degrees.
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