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COVUE is a brand operator and support partner for brands and OEMs that enter the Japan market. We work directly with brand owners and OEMs providing operational and White Labeled support, through our End-to-End services, enabling their smooth market entry and in-market success. Our services include, import & market compliance, logistics and fulfillment, manufacturing & product finishing, marketing & advertising, sales (eCommerce, distribution, retail), customer care and post-sale service support (depot & field service).
COVUE can support you on the whole journey of entering the market in Japan and selling your products. We offer a suite of end-to-end solutions to enable a smooth entry. Our services include, import & market compliance, logistics and fulfillment, manufacturing & product finishing, marketing & advertising, sales (eCommerce, distribution, retail), customer care and post-sale service support (depot & field service).
For more details, book a consultation to learn how we can support you.
The rules and regulations for importing products into Japan vary significantly based on the product category and the transaction type. Please see the dedicated FAQs to learn more.
In Japan, every product category requires a license for importing. Additionally, certain categories come with specific regulatory requirements:
Storage: Special licenses might be necessary for storing specific types of products.
Sales and Marketing: Known as Market Authorization Holder (MAH), this license is essential for the marketing and sales of regulated products.
Maintenance and Repairs: Specific licenses are needed for maintenance and repair services for certain products.
Some regulated categories that often need these additional licenses include Cosmetics, Consumer Electronics, Quasi-drugs, Medical Devices, Alcohol and Industrial Goods (e.g., fertilizers).
When planning to enter the Japanese market, it’s essential to understand your product’s and your company’s compliance requirements thoroughly. This helps ensure smooth operations and avoids legal issues.
Book a consultation to learn how we can support you.
The rules for importing and selling products also depend on the transaction type:
Foreign E-commerce Sellers:
If you don’t have a legal entity in Japan and are selling and marketing products to Japanese consumers, you must use an Attorney Customer Procedure (ACP) and/or an Importer of Record (IOR). This is crucial for regulated products like cosmetics, consumer electronics, quasi-drugs, medical devices, alcohol, and fertilizers. See our services on ACP and IOR for more details.
Product Taxes, Labeling, Marketing, and Sales:
There are additional regulations related to product taxes, labeling, marketing practices, and sales methods. See our services on Compliance for more details.
Distributors:
Products sold to distributors follow a different set of rules and regulations. Contact us to learn more.
When planning to enter the Japanese market, it’s essential to understand your product’s and your company’s compliance requirements thoroughly. This helps ensure smooth operations and avoids legal issues.
Book a consultation to learn how we can support you.
ACP stands for “Attorney for Customs Procedure.” As of October 1, 2023, all foreign sellers who operate on eCommerce marketplaces (such as Amazon Japan, Rakuten Ichiba, Yahoo Shopping) and their own webstores are required to have a Japan ACP. This requirement ensures that all customs procedures, including taxes, are handled correctly and in compliance with Japanese regulations.
For regulated products, such as cosmetics and beauty items, you will need an ACP and an Importer of Record (IOR) to handle the import and sale of these products. This dual requirement helps maintain compliance with Japan’s stringent import and sales regulations, ensuring that your business operates smoothly and legally within the Japanese market.
If you’re uncertain about whether you need an ACP or how to obtain one, our team at COVUE can provide expert guidance and support. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you navigate these requirements and successfully enter the Japanese market.
IOR stands for “Importer of Record.” For regulated products, such as cosmetics and beauty items, you will need an ACP and an Importer of Record (IOR) to handle the import and sale of these products. This dual requirement helps maintain compliance with Japan’s stringent import and sales regulations, ensuring that your business operates smoothly and legally within the Japanese market.
If you’re uncertain about whether you need an IOR or how to obtain one, our team at COVUE can provide expert guidance and support. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you navigate these requirements and successfully enter the Japanese market.
No, having only an ACP is not sufficient for most regulated products. You will require both an ACP and an Importer of Record (IOR) who possesses the necessary licenses for importing, storage, and Sales & Marketing (MAH) for your specific product category. It is crucial to confirm that your IOR has all the required licenses, as many IORs focus solely on the importing aspect.
At COVUE, we hold licenses for import, storage, manufacturing, sales and marketing, and, where applicable, repairs for 95% of product categories. We can assist you by acting as your ACP/IOR, ensuring that all regulatory requirements are met for your market entry.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your successful entry into the Japanese market.
Japan’s tax obligations depend heavily on the type of transaction. The taxes apply differently for Foreign E-commerce Sellers, Wholesalers and Distributors.
Upon import, the following taxes may apply to you:
Sales Tax (Japan Consumption Tax): Sellers are responsible for collecting and paying sales tax. The selling price on a marketplace or webstore must include sales tax. This tax is declared and paid to Japan Customs at the port of entry.
Tariff Tax: This tax depends on the product, its country of origin, and trade agreements. Tariff taxes in Japan are updated quarterly. In some cases, a Certificate of Origin can reduce or eliminate tariff tax. COVUE can assist clients with obtaining Certificate of Origin documents.
Other Taxes: Certain transaction types and certain product categories may be subject to extra taxes as stipulated in their respective laws.
Each transaction type has its own tax obligations and to fully understand your company’s and product’s tax obligations, book a free consultation with us. At COVUE, we can provide the expertise and guidance you need to navigate Japan’s tax regulations and ensure compliance for your business.
For more information on Japan Tariff Duties, please refer to this link:
Japan’s Tariff Schedule ( Statistical Code for Import ) : Japan Customs
No. Ecommerce marketplaces and webstores do not collect and distribute Japan Sales Tax. Therefore, it is the seller’s responsibility to manage this. When selling to businesses, buyers may request a Qualified Invoice to claim back the sales tax. To issue a Qualified Invoice, the seller must register for a Japan Consumption Tax (JCT) number, which can involve high tax reporting fees and future tax obligations. Alternatively, sellers can conduct business-to-business transactions outside of the marketplace and webstore, using a company to issue Qualified Invoices on their behalf.
To fully understand your company’s and product’s tax obligations, book a free consultation with us.
No. It is not possible to claim back any differences at a later date.
But in the instance where the reverse happens, if there is a selling opportunity to raise the final selling price of your products, you do not have to pay the difference in sales tax, as the government recognizes this as the “ebbs and flows” of business.
However, please note that you cannot purposefully under-declare the value of your products at arrival, and then sell them at a higher price later on. Japan Customs will flag this and perform a “Fair Market Evaluation” where they will arbitrarily set a price which they think is a fair value. Multiple incidents of this can lead to your goods being barred from entering Japan.
We can assist you with Door-to-Door shipping, customs clearance and last-mile delivery.
We also have a licensed 3PL (Third Party Logistics) warehouse facility in Amagasaki, Hyogo where we can receive and store your products, perform additional work orders and fulfill directly to your end customer or ship your products into Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Fulfillment Centers or Rakuten Fulfillment Centers if you are selling on Amazon and/or Rakuten.
Our 3PL facility is also licensed to handle the receiving, performing of Incoming Quality Checks (IQC) and storage of certain goods such as Cosmetics, Quasi-drugs and Medical Devices which are required by law to land in a licensed facility first for inspections.
For more details, please refer to the Logistics and Warehousing section of our website, or book a consultation to learn how we can support you.
Yes! You are absolutely free to use whichever company you prefer.
Our services are offered on an à la carte basis and you can select services as needed.
We can support you with the building, deployment and on-going management of your eCommerce store.
To enable your success in the Japanese market, we perform market consultations for ecommerce strategy, on-platform ad management, localization of listings and product images and performance analysis. Our team is able to handle Amazon, Rakuten, your own webstore and more, to assist you with reaching your sales goals.
For more details, please refer to the eCommerce section of our website, or book a consultation to learn how we can support you.
Japan is a unique market compared to the rest of the world.
For a country that uses three different writing systems, one effective and essential method is thorough localization of your listings and images.
Relying on software translation or AI-tools often results in incorrect and ineffective translations, which are unable to handle the unique nuances of the Japanese language.
COVUE’s team of both native Japanese and international team members ensure that all translation and localization work is done correctly in order to reach your target customer.
COVUE does not generally support drop-shipping (fulfilling to customers in Japan directly from overseas) or personal import models.
We support our clients on a local fulfillment basis.
If you are interested in setting up local fulfillment, please book a consultation.
Most would start with Amazon Japan as it is the lowest barrier to entry and the interface is more approachable for foreign sellers.
If you already have your own Amazon account and are selling in your own country, you can easily enable Japan as a market to sell on and expand your eCommerce presence.
Book a call with us to understand how we can assist you with adding Japan to your account.
For Rakuten, the platform is primarily in Japanese. Foreign sellers often find it challenging to start selling on Rakuten, due to their application and approval process, which can take a significant time and can be especially difficult to navigate without an understanding of Japanese.
COVUE supports with account set up, covering all elements from account/contract creation to store screening approval and go-live. We also act as a dedicated Merchant of Record where we can help sell your products on our own Rakuten store and Amazon Japan, to deliver faster time to market.
Book a call with us to understand how you can sell your products on Rakuten.
Yes, we can help you with your suspended listing on Amazon Japan or Rakuten Ichiba. Suspensions can occur for various reasons, including policy violations, restricted product violations, improper listings, improper packaging, and inaccurate detail pages. Our team has extensive experience in resolving such issues quickly and effectively. We specialize in understanding the nuances of these platforms’ guidelines and can provide a tailored strategy to address and rectify the problem, helping you get your listing back up and running without unnecessary delays.
Contact us for expert assistance and ensure your business stays on track.
Our in-house COVUE marketing team are able to support a broad scope of marketing services for Japan. We can support you with each stage of strategy, execution and engagement for marketing.
To drive success in the Japanese market, we offer full marketing strategy solutions; branding, localization and package designs; digital marketing solutions and more.
Contact us to learn how we can support your marketing needs.
There are multiple methods that can be leveraged to market better in Japan. Often the key element to a successful Japanese marketing campaign is local consumer culture understanding. Japanese audiences place a lot of value in quality, safety, and nature, so incorporating these elements where it makes sense can be effective.
To enable a successful marketing campaign, contact us to talk about the best strategy for your product.
Japan’s most popular social media platforms include LINE, Twitter and Instagram. Each platform targets a different demographic and purpose.
LINE is a very popular platform in Japan, which acts as a fusion between messaging apps, email marketing and social media apps. Businesses can set up a Business account and an advertising account on LINE, enabling them to use various marketing strategies to engage your audience. As LINE is completely in Japanese, most foreign businesses can struggle to get approved for accounts or advertising.
If you are interested in using LINE in your marketing strategy, contact us to see how we can enable it for you.
Customer Care enables you to have a team of local, native Japanese staff to assist with handling enquiries from your end customers via phone, email and chat.
For clients who are looking to import and sell more highly-regulated products, such as medical devices, our Customer Care team forms part of the legally required post-sale support infrastructure.
For more details, please refer to the Customer Support section of our website, or book a consultation to learn how we can support you.
Utilizing Customer Care in Japan has numerous benefits.
Firstly, it allows you to set up a local Japanese number for customers to call and direct their enquiries. This improves your brand standing in your customer’s eyes, as it signals to them that you have a local presence which they can trust.
Secondly, setting up Customer Care allows you to perform inside sales services such as preventative maintenance, warranty, product upgrades and product returns/recalls.
For more details, please refer to the Customer Support section of our website, or book a consultation to learn how we can support you.
Ready to take your Business to the next level?