Japan Post says it will suspend some postal items to US from Wednesday due to tariffs, termination of de minimis treatment

Japan Post says it will suspend some postal items to US from Wednesday due to tariffs, termination of de minimis treatment

July 2, 2025

In a significant shift impacting global trade, several postal services have announced suspensions of deliveries to the United States, citing uncertainty surrounding the upcoming termination of the de minimis exemption. The de minimis exemption, which has allowed millions of low-value parcels to enter the US duty-free, will end on August 29, 2025.

Japan Post, one of the major postal services affected, has announced it will suspend some postal items to the US from Wednesday, July 3, 2025. This decision follows similar actions taken by other international postal services, including Korea Post, Singapore’s SingPost, and several European carriers. The suspensions are a response to the lack of clarity from US authorities on how to process the newly imposed duties and the required data submission.

The de minimis exemption, which has been in place since 2019, has facilitated the flow of millions of low-value parcels into the US each day, primarily driven by e-commerce. However, the Trump administration has argued that this exemption has been used to evade tariffs and smuggle illegal goods. Under the new regime, goods mailed from other countries will be subject to tariffs and compliance with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rules. Verifiable gifts valued at less than $100 will remain duty-free.

Postal services are pausing their operations due to the uncertainty surrounding how duties will be collected and the required data transmission to CBP. Japan Post, for instance, has stated that it will continue to offer premium services subject to customs duties. Similarly, other postal services, such as DHL and Deutsche Post, have temporarily suspended the acceptance and transport of business customer parcels via the postal network to the US.

The suspensions highlight the seismic impact of the de minimis exemption's termination and raise concerns about potential delays and disruptions in the supply chain. The changes could lead to a significant increase in the cost of goods for consumers and businesses, as well as potential disruptions in the global trade of low-value items.

The US Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS have not immediately responded to requests for comment on the suspensions. However, FedEx has stated that it continues to accept and transport shipments to the US and is unaffected by the postal operators' decisions. UPS had no immediate comment.

The de minimis exemption's termination is expected to have broader implications for the global postal industry and the e-commerce sector. As the deadline approaches, postal services and online sellers are scrambling to adapt to the new regulations and find viable solutions to comply with US rules.

References:

[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-21/global-mail-services-halt-us-deliveries-ahead-of-de-minimis-end