To import a liquor with alcoholic content of 1% or higher for the purpose of marketing, it is necessary to obtain a license to sell a liquor in advance and file an import notification under the Food Sanitation Act. For the purpose of serving a liquor to his/her bar or restaurant, a license to sell is not required but should still fie and import notification. 

Taxes for liquor

Tax rates are to be revised in stages

Through the FY2017 Tax Reform, the structure of tax rates for liquors was significantly revised from the perspective of restoring tax burden fairness between. different types of liquors. Tax rate revision is to be enforced on October 1, 2020, but a sufficient transitional period up to October 1, 2026, is set and the revision is to be implemented in stages. For example, the basic tax rate for fermented liquors is uniformly set at 100.000 yen/kl with the aim of eliminating the tax rate difference between wine and refined sake. Therefore, the tax rate for wine, which is currently 80.000 yen/kl, is to be raised in stages.

(Source) Ministry of Finance’s Website. “FY 2017 Tax Reform (Main Points) -Liquor Tax Reform”