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Can You Bring Shanghai Hairy Crab into Japan? Why Live Crabs Are Banned, What About Cooked Ones, and Mercari's Rules
Shanghai hairy crab (Chinese mitten crab), in season in autumn, is designated an invasive alien species in Japan, and bringing live crabs into the country is prohibited in principle. Based on a Ministry of the Environment leaflet, this guide covers the rules and reasons, penalties, where to check about dead or processed crab, and Mercari's ban on listing living creatures.
Written by Koetsu Co., Ltd.
Autumn is hairy crab season. A 2019 news release from Hotel New Otani Osaka gives September to late November as the best time to eat it, with females at their best in October and males in November. If you travel to Shanghai or elsewhere in China at this time of year, you may be tempted to bring some home as a gift. However, bringing live Shanghai hairy crab into Japan is prohibited in principle.
Based on a Ministry of the Environment leaflet and its page on designated invasive species, this guide sets out what the rules are and why, the penalties for breaking them, where to check if you want to bring in dead or processed crab, and how Mercari treats this kind of item.
Shanghai crab is a designated invasive alien species
The Japanese name for Shanghai crab is chugoku-mokuzugani (scientific name Eriocheir sinensis), and it is native to the coast from the west of the Korean Peninsula to China. According to the Ministry of the Environment leaflet, it has been designated an invasive alien species under the Invasive Alien Species Act since 1 February 2006. Designated species are organisms from overseas that harm, or may harm, ecosystems, human life and health, or agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Import | Prohibited in principle |
| Keeping, storing or transporting | Prohibited in principle |
| Releasing into the wild | Prohibited |
The leaflet notes that the rules apply to living individuals, so it is live crabs that are the issue. It suggests enjoying Shanghai crab "in China or at a Chinese restaurant", and explains that Chinese restaurants and similar businesses handle crabs imported through the proper procedures.
Why live crabs are banned
The ministry explains that Shanghai crabs can establish themselves anywhere in Japan and are highly mobile. That means they could compete with Japan's native mitten crab for habitat and food, hybridise with it and spread disease, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem.
Penalties
According to the leaflet, violations can lead to up to three years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 3 million yen for individuals, and a fine of up to 100 million yen for companies. Even if it is just a few crabs as a souvenir, do not pack live Shanghai crabs in your suitcase or carry-on.
What about dead or processed crab?
Because the leaflet's rules cover living individuals, cooked, frozen or processed crab is not the main concern of the invasive species law. Bringing food into Japan from abroad is, however, subject to separate rules such as quarantine. The MAFF Animal Quarantine Service FAQ, for example, says that items such as dried fish are not subject to animal quarantine but may be checked for meat products, and advises contacting the animal quarantine station for your arrival airport or port, with a list of ingredients, if you are unsure whether something can be brought in.
Processed hairy crab products may also contain other ingredients such as meat or meat extracts. If there is something you want to bring home, check the ingredient list and confirm with official bodies such as the animal quarantine service or customs before you travel.
On Mercari
Mercari's list of prohibited items includes living creatures among the things it bans as a matter of business policy, along with items whose trade is prohibited by law or public regulation and food with safety or hygiene problems. Live Shanghai crabs are therefore not something you can buy or sell on Mercari.
Checklist
- Do not bring live Shanghai crabs into Japan (designated invasive species)
- Enjoy hairy crab locally, or at restaurants in Japan that handle legally imported crab
- For cooked, frozen or processed crab, check the ingredients and confirm with animal quarantine or customs before you travel
- Living creatures are prohibited items on Mercari
- If unsure, check the Ministry of the Environment's invasive species pages for the latest information
Koetsu's related shops sell items bought in China and elsewhere through Mercari. For legal details and individual cases, please refer to guidance from public bodies such as the Ministry of the Environment, the animal quarantine service and customs.
Sources and further reading
- Ministry of the Environment leaflet: bringing live Shanghai crabs into Japan is prohibited (Japanese/Chinese PDF)(Checked: )
- Ministry of the Environment: designated invasive alien species, crustaceans (Japanese)(Checked: )
- MAFF Animal Quarantine Service: FAQ on bringing livestock products into and out of Japan (Japanese)(Checked: )
- Mercari guide: prohibited items (Japanese)(Checked: )
- Hotel New Otani Osaka news release on Shanghai hairy crab season (9 October 2019, Japanese)(Checked: )
