Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Experimental Station Licence or Type Certification: Which Does Your IoT Device Need in Japan? (2026)
If your wireless device is for research, development, or a limited trial, you need an Experimental Station Licence (実験局免許) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (総務省 (MIC)). If...
Do You Need a Plant or Animal Quarantine Permit to Import Into Japan? The MAFF Step Customs Doesn't Handle (2026)
Yes, if your shipment is a plant, a plant product, an animal-origin product, or contains CITES-listed species material. This clearance is separate from Japan Customs (税関) release and from any...
Diamond PSE vs Circle PSE: How Japan Classifies Your Electrical Product for Import (2026)
Diamond PSE (特定電気用品, Specified Electrical Appliances) requires mandatory third-party certification by a METI-registered conformity assessment body, including a factory inspection, with...
MLIT Flight Permission for Drones in Japan: When Registration Alone Isn't Enough (2026)
Registering a drone under the Civil Aeronautics Act (航空法) is mandatory for almost every unmanned aircraft in Japan, but it does not authorize where or how you can fly it. A separate flight...
Japan ACP for Chilean Manufacturers: Choosing Between the Japan-Chile EPA and CPTPP (2026)
Chile is unusual among Japan's trade partners in one specific way: it has two separate preferential tariff routes into Japan running at the same time. The Agreement between Japan and the Republic...
Japan ACP for Philippine Manufacturers: Non-Resident Importer Setup Under JPEPA and RCEP (2026)
Many Philippine manufacturers in electronics components, automotive parts, and machinery reach the Japan market through a local intermediary or distributor who appears as importer of record on the...
Japan ACP for Malaysian Manufacturers: Non-Resident Importer Setup Under JMEPA, CPTPP, and RCEP (2026)
Malaysian manufacturers exporting to Japan sit under three overlapping frameworks: a long-standing bilateral agreement, a plurilateral agreement Malaysia joined more recently, and a broad regional...
Japan ACP for Hong Kong Manufacturers and Trading Companies: Non-Resident Importer Setup for an Entrepot Hub (2026)
Hong Kong occupies a different position in this series than the manufacturing-origin jurisdictions covered elsewhere. A large share of Hong Kong-incorporated companies selling into Japan are not...
When to Switch Between IOR and ACP in Japan: The Signals Your Current Import Structure No Longer Fits
Most companies that import into Japan without a Japan entity make one structural decision early: whether Aplash takes title as Importer of Record (IOR), or the non-resident company remains the...
Japan Duty Drawback Guide: Recovering Customs Duty When Goods Are Re-Exported, Returned, or Destroyed Under IOR or ACP
Most guidance on Japanese customs duty focuses on the moment goods enter the country: what rate applies, how the HS classification is determined, and who pays. Less attention goes to the reverse...