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Asia Pacific

Shipping from China to Tokyo

China → Tokyo · via NRT/HND air / Tokyo sea · clearance by Japan Customs (税関)

Freight forwarding from China to Tokyo, Japan — container and air cargo handling
Shipping from China to Tokyo.

Freight from China into Tokyo clears through NRT/HND air / Tokyo sea. Tokyo is the largest consumer and distribution market in Japan, and 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 TokyoNRT/HND air / Tokyo sea
Inland leg to TokyoSame day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell1–3 days
Peak season to plan aroundSep–Nov

What you will pay on arrival in Japan

Imports into Japan are cleared by Japan Customs (税関). The headline position is: Consumption tax 10%; duty 0–15% on most manufactured goods, higher on leather, footwear and food. The de-minimis threshold is 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 cargo build-up used on the China to Tokyo (Japan) freight lane
Handling on the NRT/HND air / Tokyo sea routing serving Tokyo.

Air, sea or overland into Tokyo?

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 Tokyo and 1–3 days of clearance.

Pre-shipment checklist for Tokyo

  • Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
  • Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Tokyo.
  • Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
  • Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Japan lane.
  • Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Japan duty rate against it yourself.
  • Confirm the consignee in Tokyo can act as importer of record — Japan Customs (税関) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.

Mode guides for Tokyo

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Tokyo 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 Tokyo.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Tokyo?

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 Tokyo.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Tokyo?

Yes. Delivery to a Tokyo 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.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Tokyo?

We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air — and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.

When is the busiest time on the China–Japan lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.

What documents does Japan Customs (税関) require?

A commercial invoice with HS codes, a packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin where it lowers duty, and any product certification (PSE mark for electrical appliances; Giteki/MIC certification for radio devices; Food Sanitation Act notification for food-contact items). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

Other delivery cities in Japan

All Japan freight information →

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: November 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.

If this is your first shipment into Japan, the Japan Country Commercial Guide covers the practical import environment in more depth than a rate page reasonably can, and it is written by a party with no stake in your booking.

Watch: the process behind this route

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

Bill of Lading Explained (BOL) | Types, Components & Full Beginner Guide | Shipping Document — 10 Min For Supply Chain. 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 Tokyo

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 authorized 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. Unauthorized 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

    Have cargo ready in China?

    Tell us what it is, how much and where it goes. We reply with routing options and a landed-cost quote within one business day.

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