Japan has a considerable population base and consumption capacity. The per capita online shopping consumption of Japanese is high, the logistics satisfaction is high, and the return rate is the lowest in the world. The three most popular platforms in Japan: Rakuten is similar to Tmall, Amazon is like JD.com, and Yahoo is equivalent to Taobao. Compared with the European and American markets, the Japanese market has more standardized regulations and systems, and is more stringent in customs clearance. Basically, the destination port tax is reported and paid, and there are few freight forwarding companies that can do double clearance and tax package. Because there is no exemption, it is impossible to exploit the loophole of underreporting. Japan FBA is the first choice for most cross-border merchants. The Kanto region is a relatively concentrated area for Japanese shopping people and is an important reference for overseas warehouse site selection. Most of Japan’s major ports such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Kobe are concentrated on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. Osaka is the industrial, commercial, land, and air transportation center in the Kansai region. It is only 3 to 4 days away from the major ports on the eastern coast of China. If Japan FBA chooses sea transportation for the first leg, the entire process can be completed in one week, and the cost is half of that of air transportation, and it can absolutely guarantee sufficient space. If the goods are small in size or in a small number of boxes, they can generally be sent to the FBA warehouse by express delivery, without the need for palletizing, and the warehousing appointment will be arranged by the Japanese agent.
Japan does not have VAT and KYC, and more than 80% of the conventional imported goods are duty-free and subject to consumption tax. Goods exceeding 10,000 yen are subject to import tariffs (3~5%) and 8% consumption tax. The tax is divided into many levels, and the customs requires that the declared unit price must not be lower than 25% of the price of the product in the online store, otherwise it is a serious underreporting. The tax threshold for mailing parcels is 1,000 yen. Under the import agent customs clearance mode, the seller must file the store product link at the customs. If the customs declaration is false, the owner may face the detention of goods and high fines; when the goods are inspected by the customs, once it is determined to be infringing, the goods will be confiscated, or the merchant will be held legally responsible and subject to economic penalties. General goods and FBA shipments must be cleared in the name of a company with import rights. Without the cooperation of the importer, customs clearance is basically impossible. Some sellers take the risk of finding some Japanese students to act as import agents, but because students cannot do business, if they are found, they may be repatriated. It is recommended not to send sensitive items for customs clearance. All products that come into contact with the human body, such as food, medical care, beauty, and knives, are difficult to clear.
Note: Items that come into direct contact with the human body will be more complicated when cleared for import in Japan, and storage fees will be incurred. If they must be destroyed because they cannot be imported, destruction fees will be incurred. Food needs to provide a food hygiene quarantine certificate from the Japanese health department; massage equipment needs to be medically confirmed and provide relevant medical certification information; toys must confirm the age group of use, otherwise they will be cleared according to the food category, and food-related customs clearance license information will be required.
Japan has a small land area, and the entire society attaches great importance to punctuality. Local logistics services are relatively stable and standardized. E-commerce logistics distribution is mainly based on these three companies: Yamato, Sagawa, and Japan Post. Even in the cross-border peak season, Japan’s package delivery can be timely and efficient. After Amazon entered the Japanese market, the entire logistics business volume grew rapidly, causing the delivery companies to overload their carrying capacity and the delivery prices of various logistics companies to rise. Due to labor shortages and increased costs, Yamato gave up Amazon Japan’s same-day delivery business and took measures such as raising prices by 30%, offering discounts to consumers who do not need secondary delivery services, and canceling scheduled deliveries at noon.