Japan is a member of the International Convention to Facilitate the Importation of Commercial Samples and Advertising Materials under the ATA Carnet System. The use of a Carnet allows goods such as commercial and exhibition samples, professional equipment, musical instruments, and television cameras to be carried or sent temporarily into a foreign country without paying duties or posting bonds. A Carnet should be arranged in advance by contacting a local office of the United States Council for International Business. 

Advertising materials, including brochures, films, and photographs, may enter Japan duty-free. Articles intended for display - but not for sale - at trade fairs and similar events are also permitted to enter duty-free but only when the fair or event is held at a bonded exhibition site. After the event, these bonded articles must be re-exported or stored at a bonded facility. A commercial invoice for these goods should be marked “no commercial value, customs purposes only” and “these goods are for exhibition  and are to be returned after the conclusion of the exhibition.”  It is also important to identify the trade show or exhibition site, including the exhibition booth number (if known), on shipping documents.