Insights & Guides
Practical knowledge on Japan market entry — from company setup and visas to trade logistics and branding.
Japan ACP for Southeast Asian Manufacturers: Staying Named as Importer on Japan Customs Declarations Without a Japan Entity (2026)
Southeast Asian manufacturers exporting to Japan through Japanese trading companies or distributors as nominal importers are running the same compliance problem that the October 2023 Japan Customs...
Japan IOR and ACP for US Manufacturers: How to Import to Japan Without a Japan Entity (2026 Guide)
US manufacturers exporting to Japan through Japanese distributors or trading companies as nominal importers are carrying customs exposure that has been explicitly non-compliant since the October...
Japan ACP for European Manufacturers: How to Use EU-Japan EPA Tariff Preferences Without a Japan Entity
The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (commonly known as JEEPA) eliminated or significantly reduced import tariff rates on a wide range of European manufactured goods entering Japan....
Japan ACP for Korean Manufacturers: How to Stay Named as Importer on Japan Customs Declarations Without a Japan Entity
Korean manufacturers exporting to Japan through Japanese trading companies or distributors as nominal importers are operating under a customs structure that the October 2023 Japan Customs reform...
Japan ACP for China-Based Manufacturers: How to Stay Named as Importer on Japan Customs Declarations Without a Japan Entity
China is Japan's largest import source by volume. The customs arrangements that historically governed the China-Japan trade flow were built around a model that the October 2023 Japan Customs...
Japan ACP for Wholesale and Distribution Brands: How to Stay Named as Importer Without a Japan Entity
Your Japanese distributor handles sales. But who appears on Japan's import declaration (輸入申告) as the legal importer? If your answer is "the distributor" or "the freight forwarder," your customs...
ACP vs. Customs Broker in Japan: What's the Difference and When Do You Need Both?
Every non-resident company importing to Japan encounters two terms early in the process: the customs broker (通関業者) and the Attorney for Customs Procedures (税関事務管理人, ACP). Most companies assume one...
ACP Registration in Japan: The Step-by-Step Setup Guide for Non-Resident Importers (2026)
Most guides explain what an Attorney for Customs Procedures (税関事務管理人) is. Almost none explain how to actually set one up. The gap is consequential: getting the sequence wrong, particularly missing...
Japan Bonded Warehouse and 保税地域 Guide: Duty Deferral, Re-Export, and the Five Zone Types Every Importer Should Know
Storing, Processing, and Re-Exporting Goods Without Paying Japanese Duty: How Bonded Zones, Bonded Warehouses, and Bonded Manufacturing Operations Work
How to Import from the US to Japan: Japan-US Trade Agreement, US Re-Export Controls, and Dual Compliance for Cross-Border Shipments in 2026
Importing from the United States to Japan carries a compliance profile that differs from every other major trade corridor. Two features make it distinctive. First, the Japan-US Trade Agreement is...