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If you are trying to work out whether your product can enter Japan — or whether the partner in front of you is telling you the truth about the market — this is the primary research behind that decision. 168 responses from the businesses and consumers who were there when the rules changed.
Fielded Apr 20 – Jul 10, 2026 · Data as of Jul 20, 2026 · Regulatory status re-verified Aug 4, 2026 · One analyst question included
A continuously updated web edition — not a static PDF
Three kinds of people buy this report.
The problem: The rule that decides this is written in Japanese, sits across an act, an ordinance and a ministerial notification, and changed in December 2024. The English-language coverage stops at "Japan legalised CBD" — which is not a sentence you can test a product against.
What you get: The limit that applies to your product form, the calculation a Japanese lab will actually perform, the seven items your COA must carry for customs pre-clearance, and the reasons compliant batches still fail market testing. Enough to run the check yourself, or to know what to ask the lab you hire.
The problem: You cannot tell whether they are typical or unusual, whether their terms are reasonable, or whether the market behind them is growing or contracting. Nobody publishes what a Japanese CBD business actually looks like.
What you get: 55 of them, surveyed. Revenue bands, headcount, channels, margins under pressure, and what they say their biggest problem is. Plus the retailers who would stock you, and the consumers who would buy. When they tell you what the market will bear, you'll know whether it's true.
The problem: A board, an investment committee or a client wants Asia in the deck. The public numbers disagree by a factor of five, and none of them show their working.
What you get: A primary survey with its methodology, sample sizes and known biases disclosed in full — plus every market estimate shown with the assumptions behind it. Citable, with the limitations stated so you're not defending a number you can't source.
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December 12, 2024 Japan moved from part-based control to compound-based control. What matters is no longer which part of the plant it came from, but how much Δ9-THC is left in the finished product — with published, testable limits that differ by product form. |
June 1, 2026 CBN became a designated substance. Manufacture, import, sale, possession and use are prohibited outside medical use. 23 of the 55 businesses we surveyed (41.8%) have ended or are ending CBN sales. |
Japan is not permissive. It is legible. Those are different things — and for an exporter, legible is the more useful one.
You can read Japan's rule, test against it, and know the answer before you ship. What you cannot do is assume it will still read the same way next year. This report covers both: where the line sits today, and how it has been moving.
Most industry reports survey one side of the counter. This one surveyed all three, in the same window, with the same design.
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What the makers and sellers said the problem was n=55 CBD businesses |
What the consumers said the problem was n=101 consumers |
| 43.6% — Consumers don't understand CBD |
19.8% — I can't tell whether the label is true 17.7% — I'm not sure illegal compounds haven't got in |
These are the same problem, described from opposite ends of the counter. One side calls it an education gap. The other calls it a trust gap. Chapter 9 shows why they are the same gap — and what actually closes it.
If you are planning to enter Japan, this is the single most commercially useful finding in the report: it tells you what your first ¥1 of marketing should buy.
Each one, with the section that answers it.
| Which THC limit applies to my product — 10 ppm, 1 ppm, or 0.1 ppm? | §S1.2 |
| How is total THC calculated in Japan, and does THCA count toward it? | §S1.2 |
| What must appear on a COA for Japanese customs pre-clearance? | §S2.1 |
| Why do compliant products still fail post-market testing in Japan? | §S5.1 |
| What exactly happened to CBN — and how fast did it happen? | §2.3.2 |
| How did Japanese operators respond when CBN was banned? | §3.3.2 |
| How does Japan decide which cannabinoid to restrict next? | §S1.3 |
| What happened to the market in the weeks after the ban was announced? | §S1.5 |
| How does Japan compare with the US, EU, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, Korea and Australia? | Table 7.3-1 |
| Who is actually operating in Japan, at what scale, and through which channels? | §3.1, §3.4 |
| What can and cannot be said in Japanese advertising and on-pack? | §S2.3 |
| Why do Japanese market-size estimates disagree by 5×, and which should I use? | Appendix C |
The twelve above are the ones we are asked most. Yours will not be on the list.
Every purchase includes one question, put to the research team and answered in writing — from the ordinance, the notification, the survey data, or the laboratory practice behind them, with the source cited.
Most of what we are asked is a version of: does this limit apply to my product form? That is exactly the question a report can leave you halfway to answering.
What we will do: identify the rule that governs your case, show the calculation, cite the source with its retrieval date, and tell you what a Japanese laboratory or customs broker will be looking for.
What we will not do: tell you your product is legal. That is a determination for Japanese counsel — and anyone who gives it to you in an email is not helping you.
One question, on one topic, asked once. Pick the point that matters most — a single product form, a single compound, a single regulatory requirement — and we will answer it properly. This is not a retainer and not an ongoing thread. If you send a list, we will ask you which one you would like answered.
Ask in English or Japanese by July 31, 2027, via our online form. Simply select "Market Entry Consultation" and include your Order Number. There are no strict requirements regarding the nature of your inquiry, as long as it focuses on one specific question. Your question is never published and never attributed.
Sample written response from the research team, with sources cited and identifying details redacted
Three steps: purchase, submit via form, receive a written answer with sources
| 01 | Buy the English Edition. Your access email arrives with your Order Number, URL, and password. |
| 02 | Go to the Inquiry Form, select "Market Entry Consultation" as the Inquiry Type, and enter your Order Number along with your question (1 question per purchase). |
| 03 | The research team answers in writing via email or chat with sources, typically within five business days. |
Free of charge for buyers. Valid until July 31, 2027.
In force since December 12, 2024. Three limits, by product form.
| 10 ppm | Oils liquid at room temperature, and powders |
| 1 ppm | Everything else — gummies, tablets, vapes |
| 0.1 ppm | Aqueous solutions |
Total Δ9-THC = Δ9-THC + (0.877 × Δ9-THCA). A certificate reporting Δ9-THC alone does not answer the question.
A product over the limit is not "non-compliant" in Japan. It is a narcotic. The classification is automatic, and it does not care what the product was sold as.
Clearing customs is not the end of the exposure. The Ministry of Health and the prefectures buy finished products off the shelf and test them. Between May 2025 and April 2026, four public warnings covering five products were issued for exceeding the residual limit. The forms were gummies, a drink, a wax and a liquid — no single category was spared. In one case the ministry bought the products itself; in another, the prefecture named the distributor and the manufacturing site, ordered sales stopped, and asked consumers holding the product to hand it in.
Each of those products had a supply chain behind it. Someone had sourced the raw material, someone had manufactured, someone had imported, and someone had put their name on the label.
None of it turns on intent. It turns on a number — and on whether the number you tested is the number a regulator will find.
The enforcement record is set out in §7.1.3, with the testing practice that produces these failures in §S5.1.
Japan replaced part-based regulation with compound-based regulation in December 2024. Most English-language coverage stopped there. This report goes to the operating detail.
Sections 2.3 and Special Feature 1 · 8 jurisdictions compared in Table 7.3-1
Not opinion. Response distributions from 55 CBD businesses, 12 hemp businesses and 101 consumers.
Chapters 3–6 · verbatim quotes from operators and consumers throughout
The detail that decides whether your first shipment clears — and whether it survives a market test six months later.
Special Features 1, 2 and 5 · including an interview with an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited testing lab
The report carries verbatim responses from the operators who answered it. This one is from a manufacturer, on the gap between holding a certificate and surviving a market test:
"We obtain a COA at the point of manufacture, and even so, we get spot-checked. If a regulated compound turns up because of degradation, we would have no choice but to exit. Honestly — I'm a little tired of being in this industry."
— CBD manufacturer, free-text response, §3.9
That is the position 55 Japanese businesses are operating from. If you are planning to sell into that market, it is also the position your distributor, your OEM partner and your retailer are in.
Understanding what they are afraid of is not sentiment. It is how you write a supply agreement they will sign.
Nine chapters, five special features, three appendices.
| 1 | Introduction — scope, method, glossary |
| 2 | The Japanese CBD and hemp market — size, structure, regulatory framework |
| 3 | CBD business survey (n=55) |
| 4 | Retail and e-commerce survey (20 physical retailers / 11 online-only) |
| 5 | Hemp business survey (n=12) |
| 6 | Consumer survey (n=101) |
| 7 | News and regulatory developments, Japan and abroad |
| 8 | Outlook for the hemp industry — global market, sector potential, policy |
| 9 | Conclusions and the outlook to 2027 |
| S1 | The regulated cannabinoid list — limits, calculation, and how the next ban is decided |
| S2 | Market entry — COA requirements, advertising and on-pack claims |
| S3 | Overseas CBD wellness case studies |
| S4 | Sponsors, supporting associations, and the 38 named respondent companies |
| S5 | Testing practice — laboratory selection, homogeneity, and why compliant batches fail |
| A–C | Methodology, sampling limitations, and market estimation |
Primary survey, April 20 – July 10, 2026: 55 CBD businesses, 12 hemp businesses, 101 consumers — 168 responses, plus 41 AI-moderated interview sessions, open-ended and anonymous, which is how we reached operators who don't answer forms. Every quoted response is a participant's own words, recorded verbatim and reviewed by the research team before inclusion.
Published by a three-company committee: Asabis (Japan's largest CBD and hemp community and B2B platform), Wellness Kit (CBD Library — seven years running Japan's largest CBD store directory), and SETODEZA (CANNABIS INSIGHT — cannabis business media since 2022).
We tell you where the data is thin. The hemp-business sample is 12 respondents. The consumer sample skews 95% toward existing users. Every market estimate discloses its assumptions and its calculation. Appendix A sets out the sampling limitations in full — before you rely on a number, you can see how it was made.
What it is: the regulation decoded into operating detail, primary data on what Japanese operators and consumers actually did, and the compliance specifics that decide whether your product clears.
| Title | Japan CBD & Hemp Market Report 2026 — English Edition |
| Publisher | CBD White Paper Committee (CBD Library / CBD-bu / CANNABIS INSIGHT) |
| Published | August 12, 2026 |
| Format | Password-protected web edition, updated in place. Not a PDF. |
| Language | English, complete edition |
| Data | Survey as of July 20, 2026 · regulatory status re-verified August 4, 2026 |
| Licence | Single named user. Contact us for team or enterprise access. |
| Included | One analyst question — one topic, asked once, answered in writing |
| Price | USD 500 |
It is a password-protected web edition, not a PDF. After purchase you receive an email with your access URL and password.
Because Japan's rules moved twice in 18 months. A file downloaded today is stale the next time an ordinance is published; your access is not. The regulatory sections are updated in place for the life of your licence.
Submit your question via our Inquiry Form by July 31, 2027. Select "Market Entry Consultation" as the Inquiry Type, provide your Order Number, and enter your question (one question per order). This service is completely free of charge. You will receive a written response via email or chat, typically within five business days.
No. One question on one topic per purchase, asked once. If you send several, we will ask which one you would like answered. Follow-up questions are not included — if you need a longer conversation, book a call.
One product form, one compound, or one regulatory requirement. "Which limit applies to a water-soluble beverage, and how is total THC calculated for it?" is one topic. "Which limits apply to my beverage, my gummy and my vape, and what does each COA need?" is three.
We will tell you why, and point you to who can answer it — a Japanese law firm, a testing laboratory, or a customs broker. Your question stays unused, and you can ask a different one.
Yes. Questions are never published, never attributed, and never shared with the companies surveyed. We use them in aggregate only, to decide what the next edition should cover.
Yes. A 60-minute call with the research team is available at USD 300（¥50,000）, booked separately after purchase. The written question is included with the report; the call is not.
Japan Market Briefing — 60 minutes with the research team
Japan CBD & Hemp Market Report 2026 + 60-Minute Briefing
Survey data as of July 20, 2026. Regulatory status re-verified August 4, 2026. Every table carries its own retrieval date.
Yes. The English Edition is a complete edition, not a summary — including all tables, figures, regulatory citations and operator quotes.
Yes, with attribution to Japan CBD & Hemp Market Report 2026, CBD White Paper Committee.
Yes. Contact us before purchase and we'll issue an invoice.
Major credit cards, processed by SB Payment Service.
Digital access is non-refundable once granted.
No. See "What it isn't." above.
One analyst question included with every purchase¥
Japan CBD & Hemp Market Report 2026 — English Edition. Published by the CBD White Paper Committee (CBD Library / CBD-bu / CANNABIS INSIGHT). Survey data as of July 20, 2026; regulatory status re-verified August 4, 2026. This report is for information only and is not legal advice.
