Shipping guide · Asia Pacific

Shipping from China and Hong Kong to Japan

Japan is a short sea transit from China and an administratively predictable place to clear. What it is not is forgiving about product standards: the PSE marking regime for electrical goods and the Food Sanitation Act for anything that touches food are applied literally.

Talk to us about Japan

Customs authority: Japan Customs, under the Ministry of Finance
Declaration system: NACCS, the national electronic customs system
Consumption tax: 10 percent standard rate, 8 percent for food and some categories
Electrical goods: PSE marking required, with category dependent conformity requirements
Food contact goods: Food Sanitation Act notification and testing required
Main entry points: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya by sea, Narita and Kansai by air

Customs itself is efficient. Declarations run through NACCS, the national electronic system, clearance is fast when the file is complete, and the authorities are consistent. Japan also operates an AEO programme that meaningfully speeds up repeat importers.

The product side is where planning is needed. Electrical products require PSE marking, with different requirements depending on the risk category of the product, and it is a conformity regime rather than a label. Anything that contacts food, including packaging and kitchenware, falls under the Food Sanitation Act and needs its own notification and testing.

Geographically the country is served by several major ports along the Pacific coast rather than one dominant gateway. Tokyo and Yokohama serve the Kanto region, Kobe and Osaka the Kansai region, and Nagoya the industrial centre. Matching the port to the destination is straightforward but worth doing.

Where cargo lands

Main freight and distribution centres

Tokyo and the Kanto region

The largest market by a wide margin, served by Tokyo and Yokohama ports and by Narita and Haneda airports.

Osaka and the Kansai region

The second commercial centre, served by Osaka and Kobe ports and Kansai International Airport.

Nagoya

The industrial heartland, dominated by automotive manufacturing and the supply chains around it.

Fukuoka and Kyushu

The southwestern region, closest to the Asian mainland and with growing semiconductor activity.

Sea freight

Ports of entry and what they mean for your cargo

Tokyo

The busiest container port, serving the Kanto region and the capital market directly.

Yokohama

Deepwater port alongside Tokyo, handling large vessels and heavy industrial cargo.

Kobe and Osaka

The Kansai gateways, serving Osaka, Kyoto and the western industrial region.

Nagoya

The largest port by total trade value, driven by the automotive industry around it.

Hakata and Moji

Kyushu ports, the closest Japanese entry points to China and Korea, with short transit services.

Transit times from China to Japan are short, with frequent services and, on some routes from northern China and Korea, arrivals within a few days.

The port choice should follow the destination region. Japanese inland transport is reliable but expensive, so landing the cargo in the right region saves more than the freight difference.

Japan handles cargo carefully and terminals are efficient, but free time is limited and storage is expensive, so clearance should be prepared before arrival.

Air freight

Airports and when air is the right answer

Narita (NRT)

The main international air cargo gateway, with extensive direct capacity from across Asia.

Haneda (HND)

Closer to central Tokyo, with growing international cargo capability.

Kansai (KIX)

The western gateway, serving Osaka and the Kansai industrial region with strong cargo facilities.

Chubu Centrair (NGO)

Serving the Nagoya industrial region directly.

Air freight from China and Hong Kong into Japan is frequent, short and well served, so the constraint is cost rather than availability.

For high-value electronics and precision goods, Japanese handling standards are among the best available, which matters for cargo where damage is the real risk.

Indicative transit times

How long the movement usually takes

Sea FCL, South China to Tokyo or YokohamaAround 5 to 10 days port to portOne of the shortest international sea transits in this list.
Sea LCL, South China to JapanAround 10 to 18 days door to doorConsolidation and deconsolidation add time but the ocean leg is short.
Air freight, Hong Kong or South China to Tokyo or OsakaAround 2 to 5 days door to doorFrequent direct services including handling and clearance.
Product conformity lead timeArrange before shippingPSE and Food Sanitation Act requirements involve testing, not just documentation.

These ranges are indicative and exist to help you plan. Real transit time depends on the service, the season, the routing and the clearance itself, and we confirm it per shipment rather than publish it as a promise.

Customs

How clearance into Japan actually works

The competent authority is Japan Customs, Ministry of Finance.

Japanese customs is efficient and consistent. Declarations are filed through NACCS and clearance is usually fast where the documentation is complete and the classification is clear.

Consumption tax applies at 10 percent for most goods and 8 percent for food and certain categories, and registered businesses recover it through their filings. Duty depends on classification and is zero or low for a large proportion of manufactured goods.

The PSE regime governs electrical products. Higher risk categories require certification by a registered body, lower risk categories require self declaration with supporting testing, and both require the mark to be correctly applied. This is a compliance regime, not a labelling exercise.

The Food Sanitation Act covers not only food but anything that comes into contact with it, including packaging, containers, kitchenware and children products that might be mouthed. Notification and testing are required before import.

A foreign company can import into Japan but generally needs an attorney for customs procedures, a resident representative arrangement that has to be set up in advance.

Documentation

What you need to have ready

Commercial invoice

Value, terms and a precise description. Japanese customs expects accuracy and consistency.

Packing list

Piece counts, weights and dimensions per package.

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

The transport contract and the release instrument.

Import declaration through NACCS

Filed by the importer or its customs broker.

PSE conformity documentation

For electrical products, matching the risk category of the item.

Food Sanitation Act notification

For food, food-contact materials, packaging and kitchenware.

Certificate of origin

Where a trade agreement provides preferential treatment, including RCEP.

Product specific approvals

Pharmaceutical, medical device, radio equipment or chemical approvals as applicable.

Controlled and restricted goods

What gets stopped, and why

PSE marking is required for electrical products and is enforced. Selling a non compliant electrical product in Japan is a regulatory problem, not a paperwork one.
Food contact materials, including packaging and kitchenware, fall under the Food Sanitation Act with testing requirements that surprise many importers.
Radio and wireless equipment requires certification under Japanese radio law, and foreign certifications do not substitute for it.
Food imports face strict inspection with low tolerance for residues and additives that are permitted elsewhere.
Intellectual property enforcement is active, and Japan takes counterfeit goods seriously at the border.
Wood packaging must comply with ISPM 15.

Working with Velonex

What clients usually bring us in for on this lane

Electrical and electronic goods where PSE conformity has to be established before shipping, since the certification path depends on the product category.
Kitchenware, packaging and food-contact products, a category where the Japanese requirements catch importers who have cleared the same goods elsewhere without issue.
High-value and fragile cargo, where Japanese handling standards and short transits make quality of execution the deciding factor.
Companies with no Japanese entity, who need the customs representation arrangement in place before shipping.
Matching the port to the destination region, since Japanese domestic transport is reliable but expensive.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs to move to Japan

We listen before we quote. Share the cargo, the deadline and the constraint, and we will come back with a route that accounts for all three, the documents it will need and a timeline we can stand behind.

Your details

Includes your name, company name and email address

Shipment route

Includes your pickup location and destination

Cargo type

Includes the type of cargo you are shipping

Special requirements

Includes a short note about your challenge

Timeline

Includes your desired timeline

Your quote

A tailored response based on everything above

Corporate logistics partner

Trust, clarity and operational follow through for complex cargo.

Not ready for a quote? Email info@velonex-hk.com or message us on WhatsApp with the question and we will answer it.

Sources

Where this information comes from

General guidance, last reviewed August 2026. Customs rules and product requirements change, and the treatment of any specific shipment depends on its classification, origin and value. Confirm the detail with us or with the authority before you commit to a movement.

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