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Asia Pacific

Shipping from China to Japan

China → Japan · clearance by Japan Customs (税関)

Freight forwarding from China to Japan, Japan — container and air cargo handling
Cargo handling on the China–Japan lane.

Japan is served through Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and it is served through FUK air / Hakata sea. That combination is what actually sets your delivery date on this lane — the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.

On the destination side, Japan Customs (税関) handles clearance; budget 1–3 days of dwell before the cargo is released.

Routing and transit on this lane

Japan is a fast, high-compliance lane: Shanghai and Qingdao to Tokyo or Osaka is 3–6 days by sea and often next-day by air. Clearance itself is quick, but the standards regime is unforgiving — PSE and Giteki marking must be correct before the goods ship, because there is no way to remediate at the border.

Air gateways usedNRT (Narita), HND (Haneda), KIX (Osaka Kansai)
Air transit, China to gateway1–3 business days
Sea gateways usedTokyo, Yokohama, Osaka
Sea transit, China to gateway3–6 calendar days
Gateway serving JapanFUK air / Hakata sea
Inland leg to JapanSame day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell1–3 days
Peak season to plan aroundSep–Nov

Delivery cities in Japan

Principal delivery points: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Sendai. Pick a city for the gateway it uses and the inland leg beyond clearance.

Hakata Kyushu's main container gateway FUK air / Hakata sea · inland same day Moji Kanmon Strait port serving northern Kyushu industry FUK air / Moji sea · inland same day Yokkaichi Ise Bay chemical and industrial port NGO air / Yokkaichi sea · inland same day Hitachinaka Ibaraki port serving the northern Kanto industrial belt NRT air / Hitachinaka sea · inland same day Tokyo The largest consumer and distribution market in Japan NRT/HND air / Tokyo sea · inland same day Yokohama Major port city adjoining Tokyo NRT air / Yokohama sea · inland same day Osaka Western Japan's commercial center KIX air / Osaka sea · inland same day Nagoya Automotive manufacturing heartland NGO air / Nagoya sea · inland same day Kobe Historic port serving the Kansai industrial belt KIX air / Kobe sea · inland same day Fukuoka Kyushu gateway and the closest major city to China FUK air / Hakata sea · inland same day Sapporo Hokkaido's commercial center CTS air / Tomakomai sea · inland +2 days Sendai Tohoku regional hub SDJ air / Sendai sea · inland +1 day Hiroshima Chugoku manufacturing and machinery center HIJ air / Hiroshima sea · inland +1 day Kawasaki Heavy industry and logistics corridor HND air / Tokyo sea · inland same day Saitama Northern Tokyo metropolitan distribution belt NRT air / Tokyo sea · inland same day Chiba Industrial and petrochemical zone east of Tokyo NRT air / Chiba sea · inland same day
Container yard operations used on the China to Japan (Japan) freight lane
Consolidation and handling before departure for Japan.

Duty, tax and clearance into Japan

Japan Customs (税関) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Japan consignees. Current regime: Consumption tax 10%; duty 0–15% on most manufactured goods, higher on leather, footwear and food, with a de-minimis position of JPY 10,000 customs value (some categories excluded).

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: PSE mark for electrical appliances; Giteki/MIC certification for radio devices; Food Sanitation Act notification for food-contact items. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Japan: Electrical products without a valid PSE mark cannot be imported. Radio devices need Giteki certification. Amazon FBA Japan requires an Importer of Record that is not Amazon, so confirm who the IOR will be before booking a DDP move.

Air, sea or overland into Japan?

ModeTransit to gatewayBest suited to
✈️ Air Freight1–3 business daystime-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight3–6 calendar daysvolume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Japan gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Japan and 1–3 days of clearance.

What to sort out before the cargo leaves China

  • Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
  • Put the Japan delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
  • Get the conformity paperwork moving early: PSE mark for electrical appliances; Giteki/MIC certification for radio devices; Food Sanitation Act notification for food-contact items.
  • Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Japan.
  • Confirm the consignee in Japan can act as importer of record — Japan Customs (税関) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
  • Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Japan take?

China to the Japan gateway is 1–3 business days by air, 3–6 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 1–3 days of clearance with Japan Customs (税関) and a same-day inland leg to Japan.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Japan?

Japan Customs (税関) applies: Consumption tax 10%; duty 0–15% on most manufactured goods, higher on leather, footwear and food. The de-minimis position is JPY 10,000 customs value (some categories excluded). Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Japan.

Which port or airport does cargo for Japan clear through?

Cargo for Japan is routed via FUK air / Hakata sea. Sea gateways for Japan are Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka; air gateways are NRT (Narita), HND (Haneda), KIX (Osaka Kansai). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Japan?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via NRT (Narita), HND (Haneda), KIX (Osaka Kansai). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

What certification do I need for Japan?

For regulated goods, plan for: PSE mark for electrical appliances; Giteki/MIC certification for radio devices; Food Sanitation Act notification for food-contact items. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Japan?

Yes. Delivery to a Japan address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Japan Customs (税関), and the same-day inland leg. Confirm whether your consignee wants the goods at a warehouse, a marketplace fulfillment center or a shop front, because the last-mile requirement differs.

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Japan change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with Japan Customs (税関) or your broker before you ship.

Page data last reviewed: 10 月 2026.

Shipping by industry

This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.

All 60 industry guides →

Checking the Japan duty position yourself

Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Japan Customs sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.

If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.

For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.

On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.

For a wider view of how importing into Japan actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Japan customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.

Watch: the process behind this route

This guide covers routing and clearance for Japan. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Sea Freight from China: How to import from China to your country via Ocean Shipping — SINO Shipping. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.

Get a rate for Japan

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a rate card: the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we price it properly.

Answer these and you get a real price, not a range. These are the exact figures a carrier needs before it will quote. Fill them in once and we can price your cargo the same day — leave them out and we have to come back and ask, which is what turns an hour into a week.

kg
ctn
Carton sizeoptional
× × cm
m³
ctr
Built-in battery?* Lithium cells are dangerous goods.
Someone else's brand?* Logos you are not authorised to ship.
Magnetic product?* Speakers, motors, magnets.
Why these three decide everything

They determine whether your cargo can fly, and on which service. A declared battery changes the price; an undeclared one grounds the shipment at the airport and you pay storage while it sits. Unauthorised brands are seized at customs and the freight is lost with them. Magnetic goods need a field test — routine, but it has to be booked ahead. Telling us now costs a click; telling us later costs the shipment.

Sea or air?*
Tick both and we quote both.
When should it move?optional
Photographs of the goodsoptional
    Your details are used to prepare this quotation and nothing else.

    See the Japan route page →

    Customs clearance in Japan

    Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.

    Japan clearance requirements →

    Priced routes to Japan