For a Turkish food exporter, Japan is a market with two faces. On one side is a high-spending, quality-driven, loyal consumer base. On the other is one of the most demanding food-inspection systems in the world. Working on the ground in Osaka, the pattern we see most often is this: the product is genuinely good, the price is competitive — yet the shipment gets held at customs, because the preparation was built for European or Gulf markets. Japan's logic is different.
This article explains how Japan's food sanitation regime (MHLW) actually works for hazelnuts, dried fruit and olive oil, and what you should realistically prepare for before you ship.
How the MHLW import notification works
Food imports into Japan rest on Article 27 of the Food Sanitation Act. Under this article, the party importing food for sale or commercial use must submit an import notification to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for every consignment. The notification goes to the quarantine station at the port of entry.
Two practical points an exporter should understand:
The Japanese importer files the notification, not you. But the manufacturer details, ingredient list, additives and production method requested in that notification come from you. If this information is incomplete or inconsistent, it stalls your importer's filing — and therefore your shipment.
After the notification, MHLW always performs a document examination and, when required, a physical or laboratory inspection. First shipments and "high-risk" product–country combinations are sampled more frequently.
The electronic side runs through a system called FAINS, which requires prior registration by the importer. Your critical job is to keep the documents that feed this notification — analysis certificates, production flow, additive declarations — accurate and ready in English/Japanese.
Hazelnuts: aflatoxin alone can end the deal
Turkey is the world's largest hazelnut exporter, so this line is strategic for many firms. But in Japan, hazelnuts have one decisive threshold: aflatoxin.
Based on the Food Sanitation Act, Japan applies a limit of 10 µg/kg (10 ppb) for total aflatoxins (B1 + B2 + G1 + G2). Importing food that exceeds this limit is prohibited. For comparison: the U.S. action level is 20 ppb, so Japan is twice as strict.
The real difference, though, isn't the number — it's the testing logic:
Japan does not average sample results from the same shipment.
It does not allow reworking.
It does not allow a retest.
In other words, a single sample over the limit can mean rejection of the entire consignment. Aflatoxin is naturally distributed unevenly across a lot, and Japan's protocol is built precisely to catch those isolated hotspots. An exporter who relies on "the average is clean" tends to get the most expensive surprise in Japan.
What to expect: Don't ship without pre-shipment testing at an accredited lab using sampling and analysis aligned with the Japanese protocol. Storage and moisture control (Aspergillus mold develops in humidity) matter as much as price on this line.
Dried fruit: sulfur dioxide and pesticide residues
Dried fruit, led by dried apricots, is a strong Turkish export line. Here there are two separate hurdles.
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
Widely used to preserve color and shelf life in dried fruit, sulfur dioxide is the additive most frequently exceeded in Japan. Japan's residue limits are set not by additive but by food type:
Dried apricots and dried peaches: below 2,000 ppm (as SO₂)
General foods: below 30 ppm
Wine: below 350 ppm
Traditional sulfuring processes in Turkey can occasionally leave residues above this threshold. Japan also tightened its sulfite standards in 2026, so relying on an old reference is risky. A pre-shipment SO₂ residue test should be treated as an almost mandatory step for dried apricots.
Pesticide residues (Positive List System)
Japan has run a "Positive List" system since 2006. If no official maximum residue limit (MRL) is defined for a specific chemical–commodity combination, an extremely low default of 0.01 ppm applies. Moreover, after two violations on the same product by two different exporters, all consignments of that product from that country can be placed under an "Inspection Order" (100% hold-and-test). Once triggered, this becomes a long and costly process affecting the entire sector.
What to expect: Check, product by product, how the chemicals you use are positioned on Japan's MRL list. "Permitted in Turkey" does not mean permitted in Japan.
Olive oil: the hurdle is commercial, not chemical
Compared with hazelnuts and dried fruit, olive oil is an easier line on the chemical-residue side; the typical rejection causes such as aflatoxin or sulfur dioxide don't arise here. Still, like every food entering Japan it is subject to MHLW notification, and two points deserve attention:
Additive purity: No additive that isn't approved in Japan is accepted. Extra virgin olive oil should be pure anyway; problems usually appear in blended or flavored products.
Labeling and grade claims: Under the Food Labeling framework, grade claims such as "extra virgin" must be accurate and consistent.
With olive oil, the real battle is not regulation but market positioning. Spanish and Italian brands dominate the Japanese market; the obstacle for Turkish-origin olive oil is brand awareness, quality consistency and storytelling. So the olive oil strategy should focus less on "how do I clear customs" and more on "why should they pick me on the shelf."
Real-world expectations from the field
Across all three lines, the recurring pattern is the same:
In Japan, it's the worst point of your product, not its average, that gets tested. Build your quality control around that.
The first shipment is always inspected more strictly. Plan it as a "reference," not a "trial" — a clean record reduces inspection frequency on later shipments.
Documents and test certificates are the heart of the process. However good your importer is, a missing analysis report holds the shipment and creates storage costs.
References valid "in Turkey / Europe" do not transfer to Japan. Verify the Japan-specific threshold separately for each line.
Your next step
At Gordion, our Osaka-based team provides hands-on support to Turkish producers entering Japan: matching the right importer, coordinating pre-shipment documents and testing, ensuring label compliance, and positioning the product in the market. If you'd like to clarify your Japan plan for hazelnuts, dried fruit or olive oil, let's start with an introductory call.
This article is for general guidance only; current limits and procedures may be revised by MHLW. Verification through official sources and accredited laboratories before shipment is recommended.
