TL;DR: Trying to find out if my knives will be confiscated, and/or if I can apply for a possession permit beforehand. (And yes, I’m aware pocket knives are extremely illegal- these are knives that will never leave my home.)
Hello! I will be moving to Japan soon, and am in the process of figuring out shipping. I’ve tried to research the knife laws in Japan, and it sounds like:
– You cannot carry knives on you (this is fine, I never intended to)
– Blades over 15cm in length cannot be imported unless you have a permit ([source](https://www8.cao.go.jp/kisei-kaikaku/oto/otodb/english/faq/qa/q8-5.html))
I’ve tried to figure out how to apply for a permit, but I got as far as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police website before getting stuck. (I see the Firearms section, but it doesn’t seem to cover blades?)
Basically: these knives are of sentimental value, and for display at home only. If they’ll be confiscated when entering the country, I would rather mail them to someone for safekeeping.
Does anyone know if they’ll be held at the airport and/or shipping port? I just want to avoid them being lost to the void ;; I’ve already asked my coworkers in Japan, but they don’t have expertise in the subject. Any advice is super appreciated!!
In case it helps, pictures of the knives in question. The longest one (Lucky) has a blade of approx 19cm so it definitely needs a permit. I’m happy to do that, just need to know if I can get it into the country without one, and/or if I can submit a permit application before the move.
– [The set](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/984491316652163102/1167374526997336134/IMG_9427.jpg)
– [With measure](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/984491316652163102/1167374527794270208/IMG_9426.jpg)
2 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Knife Importation?**
TL;DR: Trying to find out if my knives will be confiscated, and/or if I can apply for a possession permit beforehand. (And yes, I’m aware pocket knives are extremely illegal- these are knives that will never leave my home.)
Hello! I will be moving to Japan soon, and am in the process of figuring out shipping. I’ve tried to research the knife laws in Japan, and it sounds like:
– You cannot carry knives on you (this is fine, I never intended to)
– Blades over 15cm in length cannot be imported unless you have a permit ([source](https://www8.cao.go.jp/kisei-kaikaku/oto/otodb/english/faq/qa/q8-5.html))
I’ve tried to figure out how to apply for a permit, but I got as far as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police website before getting stuck. (I see the Firearms section, but it doesn’t seem to cover blades?)
Basically: these knives are of sentimental value, and for display at home only. If they’ll be confiscated when entering the country, I would rather mail them to someone for safekeeping.
Does anyone know if they’ll be held at the airport and/or shipping port? I just want to avoid them being lost to the void ;; I’ve already asked my coworkers in Japan, but they don’t have expertise in the subject. Any advice is super appreciated!!
In case it helps, pictures of the knives in question:
– [The set](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/984491316652163102/1167374526997336134/IMG_9427.jpg)
– [With measure](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/984491316652163102/1167374527794270208/IMG_9426.jpg)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sentimental value = “the value of an object deriving from personal or emotional associations rather than material worth.” May I ask what personal or emotional associations you have with your collection of knives?