Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Does a Japan Importer of Record Have Packaging Recycling Obligations in 2026?
Yes. A business that imports packaged goods for sale in Japan is normally designated a specified business operator (特定事業者) under the Containers and Packaging Recycling Act (容器包装リサイクル法) and bears a...
Can You File a Japan Export Declaration Before the Goods Reach Bonded Storage? (2026)
Yes. Unlike an import declaration, a Japan export declaration can be filed before the goods enter a bonded area (保税地域), and no special approval is needed to do it. The Customs Act (関税法) imposes a...
Who Is the Importer of Record for a Japan Consignment-Sale Import? (2026)
For goods you sell in Japan on consignment, either you as the overseas seller or your Japan-based selling party can be the import declarant, and Japan Customs has published both as acceptable...
Is Under-Invoicing to Lower Japan Customs Duty Legal? (2026)
No. Declaring a lower value than the actual price paid for imported goods is a criminal false declaration under Japan's Customs Act (関税法), not a gray area or a negotiable discount. The dutiable...
Can an Importer of Record Keep Your Supplier and Buyer From Seeing Each Other in Japan? (2026)
Yes, within limits. An Importer of Record (IOR) that genuinely buys the goods and resells them can be directed in writing to withhold the upstream supplier's identity from the Japan buyer, and the...
Can You Use a Pure Import Agent in Japan Instead of an IOR or ACP? (2026)
No. Japan has no legal category for a pure import agent who neither takes title to the goods nor becomes the named importer. The Customs Act (関税法) requires whoever appears on the import...
Can You Net Seller and Buyer Payments in a Japan IOR Deal? (2026)
Yes. Netting the goods-value payables and receivables between an overseas seller and a Japan buyer is not prohibited under Japanese law, provided the underlying Importer of Record (IOR) purchase...
Can You Use One Japan IOR Arrangement to Clear Shipments Through Multiple Ports? (2026)
Yes. A single Japan Importer of Record (IOR) engagement covers shipments arriving through any number of Japanese ports, because the arrangement is a buy-and-sell structure tied to the importer's...
Do You Need EOR for a Two-Month Japan Hire? Short-Term and Seasonal Staffing Without a Japan Entity (2026)
Not every Japan hiring need is an open-ended headcount decision. A company might need someone on the ground for a trade show season, a product launch push, a market-validation pilot, or a defined...
Sending Product Samples to Japanese Influencers and Press: What International Brands Get Wrong About Customs (2026)
Marketing teams running influencer seeding and press sample programs into Japan almost always start from the same assumption: it is a gift, no money changes hands, so customs should not be an...