Powdered gold in wigs, underwear: in Japan, smugglers get sophisticated amid soaring prices
Authorities step up border controls to combat the lucrative illicit trade driven by the rising price of gold and the return of tourists
Customs authorities are ramping up measures to tighten border controls as smuggling methods become more sophisticated, such as hiding powdered gold in clothing, they said.
Last September, two Chinese nationals arriving from Hong Kong were found hiding a total of some 2.6 kilograms of powdered gold in wigs at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Schemes for gold smuggling to Japan have been widely touted on social media in mainland China and Hong Kong, with assurances that large profits can be made if individuals evade the import tax on the metal levied by customs, which is set at the same rate as the consumption tax.
The number of gold smuggling cases investigated by customs authorities nationwide started increasing in 2014, when the consumption tax rate was raised to 8 per cent from 5 per cent, hitting 1,347 in 2017. The consumption tax was raised to 10 per cent in 2019.
The figure decreased in 2018 and remained low due to stricter penalties and border controls as well as entry restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
