Are plastic bags banned in Japan?

Taxed / charged

Plastic bags are legal but carry a mandatory charge or tax.

Japan is one of 33 countries classified “Taxed / charged” for single-use plastic bags — 19% of the 171 with data.

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags
Last checked
15 September 2026
How it was classified
Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.

Nearby countries

South Korea
Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
Taiwan
Taxed / charged Plastic bags are legal but carry a mandatory charge or tax.
Philippines
Partial measures Plastic-bag bans or charges apply in some regions only.
China
Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
Mongolia
Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
Palau
Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.

Other laws in Japan

Fur Farming
Banned
Cosmetic Animal Testing
No ban
Dog Meat
Legal / not prohibited

Every law in Japan → · Which countries have banned plastic bags? →

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.