Taiwan and Japan signed their third regional customs cooperation memorandum on 4 December 2025, strengthening bilateral customs cooperation.
Taiwan and Japan signed their third Regional Customs Cooperation Memorandum on 4 December 2025 during the 49th Taiwan-Japan Economic and Trade Conference, expanding bilateral customs exchanges. The memorandum was signed by Su Jia-chuan, Chairman of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, and Osamu Sumi, Chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Yoshirō Baba, Director of Kobe Customs, and other Japanese customs officials, while Taiwan was represented by Liu Fang-chu, Director of Kaohsiung Customs, and Wu Shu-hua, Deputy Director of the Integrated Planning Division.
The Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, said the memorandum will strengthen cooperation between Kaohsiung Customs and Kobe Customs, facilitating the exchange of views on customs issues and sharing of experience in implementing measures. Regular meetings and site visits will be conducted in the future to deepen collaboration and improve enforcement practices.
This marks a continuation of Taiwan-Japan regional customs cooperation. On 18 February 2022, Taipei Customs’ Songshan Branch and Tokyo Customs’ Haneda Branch signed the first memorandum. This was followed by the signing of a memorandum between Keelung Customs and Yokohama Customs on 12 December 2023. Since then, several bilateral meetings and visits have been held covering customs clearance procedures, enforcement operations, and passenger tax refund services, producing substantial results.
Kaohsiung Customs and Kobe Customs handle both maritime and air transport operations, and the new memorandum is expected to broaden the scope of cooperation and represent a new milestone in Taiwan’s international customs development.
