What does Japan require before the cargo can be imported?
Japan is served from China by ocean, air and express, and the arrival-side requirements below are the part that most often changes a landed cost or holds a shipment at the port. Each position is the one we publish for this market and is confirmed per shipment against the actual commodity code and destination city.
What duty, tax and levies apply on arrival?
| Duty and tax | Consumption tax 10% standard (8% reduced); duty follows the MFN, GSP or EPA rate for the tariff line |
| Tariff treatment | RCEP Form R applies |
Who is allowed to import into this market?
| Importer of record | Normally the importer or a customs broker filing as proxy; a foreign seller can act as importer of record through an ACP |
What certification or product rules must be in place before shipping?
| Certification to check | Japan JIS and PSE plus food quarantine; Korea KC certification |
How long does shipping from China to Japan take?
Typical door-to-door transit on this lane, by mode. These are working ranges rather than carrier-published schedules, so the exact window is confirmed on booking.
| Mode | Typical transit | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight FCL | 3–7 days port to port | Shanghai to Tokyo/Yokohama 3–5 days; Shenzhen to Osaka/Kobe 5–7 days, published lane data |
| Ocean freight LCL | 7–12 days | Door to door including consolidation |
| Air freight | 3–5 days | Door to door; 1–2 days airport to airport, with daily capacity on several China pairs |
| Express courier | Confirmed per shipment | Carrier transit times for Japan are confirmed at booking |
Which gateway does cargo arrive through in East Asia?
The gateway is the same for every country in East Asia; what changes between countries is the duty, importer and certification position above.
| Destination ports | Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe and Hakata |
| Air gateways | NRT and HND for Kanto, KIX for Kansai; several China pairs carry daily capacity |
| Gateway ports | Busan, Incheon, Tokyo and Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe, Nagoya, Kaohsiung and Keelung |
| Gateway airports | NRT and HND, ICN, KIX, TPE |
How do you turn this into a landed cost?
Duty is assessed per commodity code, so the positions above tell you what to prepare rather than what you will pay. Screen the official duty range for the HS chapter your product falls in with the HS chapter duty lookup, then put the rate for your actual code through the landed cost calculator to see duty, import tax and levies on the CIF value. Transit times, loading ports and the operating detail for this lane are on the China to Japan route page.
Positions reviewed 2026-09-15 by Helen Peng. Duty, importer-of-record and certification answers are confirmed per shipment: a change of commodity code, origin documentation or destination city can change the position.
