David- Sorry for another tardy reply! I was at a gig followed by final performance exams at the university yesterday. I'm not certain about the bari from Japan. Maybe "proceed with caution" when buying overseas is the best advice I can offer. I haven't heard anything bad about instruments from Japan, but I know there are some instruments from China that are on the verge of being counterfeit, like "Selman" saxes. I even had a student that got a mouthpiece that was supposed to be a Wanne at a ridiculously low price one time - I can't remember if it actually said Wanne on the piece when it arrived. It was perhaps the equivalent of one of those Rolex watches bought on the streets in New York.
Of course, you may be looking at a legitimately great Yani. The other issue to be concerned with is handling during shipping. It would be a real drag to get a great instrument from overseas that was damaged in transit.
My first step, personally, would be to consult with local repair techs to see if they know of any local deals- used or new. My bari is a Yamaha that I've had for about 25 years. It's a YBS-52. It's certainly not the top of the line, and certainly not as good as a new top of the line Yani would be, but it was used and the price was good when I got it. Overall, I've been very happy with it- for the most part. The bis is a little awkward.
Let me know what you decide or learn.