The idea is to make it harder for such counterfeit goods to enter this lucrative market and protect Japan's intellectual property.

The government is planning to make real progress on the problem of counterfeit imports by amending the customs tariff law, sources said.

Imitations of Japanese goods will be prevented from entering the country even if the designs and trademarks of the original goods have yet to be registered.

Because it takes at least several months for a product to be registered with the Japan Patent Office, low-priced imitations, be they toys, clothes or food, reportedly flood into Japan in bulk from overseas.

So before the applications for registration are even screened, the products' replicas are often already on the domestic market.

Under the current customs tariff law, it is impossible to prevent such goods from entering the country if the original trademarks and designs are not registered.

The law forbidding unlawful competition prohibits sales of counterfeit goods in Japan, but it has been largely unsuccessful in keeping the fakes from entering the country and being marketed in great numbers.

In the roughly six months it took toy giant Bandai Co. to formally register the design for what was to become the wildly successful Tamagotchi digital pet in 1996, for example, a number of imitations were already being sold.

Sales of the original toy suffered to a certain extent as a result.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the increase in imports of imitation goods is largely due to the emergence of sophisticated design equipment, which makes it easier to copy and reproduce the originals.

Ministry officials also say the only way to crack down on the fakes once such goods are on the market in Japan is for lawsuits to be filed against the retailers demanding that the sales be stopped.

Domestic manufacturers have called on the government for stricter customs control to prevent the influx of counterfeit goods from overseas.(IHT/Asahi: December 27,2004)