The Japanese have been banned from shipping packages of any significant size to the land of the free as the US believes they are likely a bunch of freedom-hating terrorists.
Japan Post, Japan’s main international package delivery service, have announced (less detailed English announcement here) that due to terrorism fears in the USA they have been forced to indefinitely stop accepting any items over 453g (16 freedom ounces) in weight for air shipment to the US or its various island territories.
The size restrictions are apparently intended to limit the size of bomb the Japanese can send.
Companies holding business accounts with Japan Post should in principle be exempt, meaning international retailers operating from Japan will probably be completely unaffected, but small businesses and individuals are now unable to ship packages of any great size to the US in a timely fashion.
Other international postal services in Japan may have different policies (although many are already highly restrictive, refusing to ship figures and so on if they lack CE marks, software, adult items, etc.). The patient should also be able to make use of sea shipment options.
Similar air shipment restrictions in other freedom-hating countries are likely.
The background to the crackdown is that bombs disguised as toner cartridges were shipped to the US from Yemen, and as a result the Department of Homeland Security imposed sweeping restrictions on “certain inbound international air cargo shipments” thought to be high risk, which evidently includes those coming from Japan.
Fortunately, as a result of the policy Americans can now once more freely imbibe the heady air of liberty knowing that the homeland is again secure and it is even harder than ever for any subversive Japanese otaku goods to reach their shores.
The Department of Homeland Security should be disbanded and the ridiculously named “Patriot Act” repealed. The first has become nothing but the president’s private army (they’re being armed with military grade weapons and enough ammo to start a war) and the latter is just an excuse to curtail our freedoms. f♥♥k ’em both!
What needs to be done is that whoever’s dumb ass posted this needs to actually read whatever the f♥♥k they are writing about before they post ignorant comments.
It only applies to Individuals and most companies are unaffected
Mainly this is about securit in Yemen and Somalia
It is targeting mostly ink and toner. It is not going after your hentai girl action figures
If you want to order 3 pounds of doujinshi, you are still allowed to. This law does NOT apply to everything. In the first place who the f♥♥k is ordering toner and ink from japan? Unless you own a certain japanese printer, you won’t. Some little person made bombs. They are gonna scan heavily on toner and personal shipments. Unless you are buying from some japanese otaku on ebay, you are safe
Also it only applies to personal items shipped by individual people. Most companies are unaffected by all ink and toner will be scanned and processed and if its over 16 ounces itll be confiscated
The message on the Dept. of Homeland Security site on specifies it bans Ink cartridges and toner of 16 ounces. It says nothing about everything else. Mostly they are restricting heavily things in somalia and Yemen until they can put better security there
Someone needs to take this to court and have it overturned as a violation of the Fourth Amendment and violation of due process.
Seriously, these things are NOT acceptable in the slightest, and never will be for 90% of Americans.
After further reading, however…. it appears that this was done solely on JP Post’s prerogative, which seems suspicious at best.