Supplier due diligence
Japan Importer and Exporter Due Diligence
Importers and exporters can create supply-chain, customs, product, sanctions, and distributor-risk questions that public records can help triage.
Key takeaways
- Trading partners should be matched to the correct legal entity.
- Product category and transaction role shape which records matter.
- Public records should be combined with sanctions, customs, and trade controls where relevant.
- RegBase supports evidence collection, not trade-control clearance.
Practical workflow
- 1Identify whether the company is importer, exporter, distributor, agent, or trading intermediary.
- 2Confirm legal entity identity and Corporate Number.
- 3Search RegBase for enforcement and public-risk records.
- 4Review whether records relate to product claims, regulated goods, consumer sales, or financial activity.
- 5Escalate to trade compliance when sanctions, export control, or customs issues are in scope.
Why role clarity matters
A Japanese trading company may act as buyer, seller, distributor, exporter, importer, agent, or intermediary. The same public record can have different significance depending on that role.
Before interpreting records, identify who contracts, who ships, who markets, and who bears regulatory responsibility in Japan.
Where public records fit
Public enforcement records can flag product, consumer, competition, financial, or operational issues. They do not replace sanctions screening, export controls, customs checks, product compliance, or logistics review.
Important limitation
RegBase supports public-source screening and evidence collection. It is not a credit report, sanctions result, legal opinion, or final due-diligence conclusion.