Key Takeaways

• Identify the correct license type for your products first. Regulated categories, like food, cosmetics, electronics, and alcohol, need extra licensing beyond general import.
• Start license applications immediately after incorporation. Certifications take 1-6 months depending on product type, so don’t wait until products are ready.
• If you’re importing alcohol for resale, confirm you’re applying for the correct license type. An import/export liquor wholesale license (輸出入酒類卸売業免許) is different from a retail license, and businesses sometimes apply for the wrong one.
• Exporting from Japan requires both a Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act check and a self-assessed export control classification (該非判定 / gaihi hantei) for every shipment, not just a restrictions lookup.
• A 2026 tax reform proposal would end Japan’s de minimis exemption for low-value cross-border imports. If you sell to Japanese consumers via international mail, this is worth tracking.

Before you can legally start an import/export business in Japan, you need to understand Japan’s licensing requirements. Most entrepreneurs overcomplicate this. You probably don’t need as many licenses as you think, but the ones you do need are critical. This guide cuts through the confusion and tells you the following.

• Exactly which licenses apply to YOUR products
• How much each license costs
• How long the application takes
• Step-by-step instructions to apply

Whether you plan to bring foreign goods into Japan or export Japanese products overseas, completing these tasks will prepare you to begin importing and exporting smoothly.

Do You Need a Special License? Quick Reference

What You’re Importing	License Needed?	Cost	Timeline
Clothing, accessories, home goods	No	¥0	N/A
Books, stationery, toys (non-electrical)	No	¥0	N/A
Electrical products (anything with a plug)	PSE certification	¥150,000-¥800,000/model	1-6 months
Wireless devices (Bluetooth, WiFi)	Giteki certification	¥300,000-¥800,000/model (lower per-unit at volume)	2-4 months
Food & beverages	Import notification (free) + license	¥0 notification + ¥50,000-¥200,000 setup/testing	2-6 weeks
Cosmetics	Manufacturing/Sales license	¥200,000-¥500,000	4-8 weeks
Dietary supplements	Depends on claims	¥50,000-¥500,000	2-8 weeks
Alcohol (import for resale)	Import/Export Liquor Wholesale License (輸出入酒類卸売業免許)	¥150,000-¥700,000	4-6 weeks
Pharmaceuticals/medical devices	MAH license	¥600,000-¥2,500,000+	6-18 months
Chemicals	CSCL registration	¥250,000-¥3,000,000+	3-12 months
Plants, seeds	Phytosanitary certificate	¥7,000-¥30,000/shipment	1-2 weeks
Used goods (for resale)	Secondhand dealer license	¥19,000 govt fee (¥40,000-¥69,000 w/ admin scrivener)	40-60 days

2. General Requirements

1. NACCS Registration for Customs Clearance

NACCS is Japan’s electronic customs clearance system. Businesses use it to process import and export shipments.

Recommended approach

Use a customs broker.

• The broker registers you with NACCS.
• You receive an importer/exporter code.
• The broker handles the customs paperwork.

Cost

• ¥5,000-¥15,000 for setup
• ¥15,000-¥50,000 per shipment

Timeline: 3-5 days

Direct registration is available for users who can work in Japanese. Setup costs about ¥30,000-¥50,000, but the process is usually too complex for a new business.

2. Customs Broker Selection

Major Customs Brokers in Japan	Pricing Structure	Best Fit
Nippon Express	Import: ¥8,000-¥12,000 / Export: ¥6,000-¥10,000 / Documentation usually included	Best for big companies with lots of shipments
Kintetsu World Express	Import/Export: ¥8,600 (≤¥200k) – ¥11,800 (>¥200k) / Documentation: ¥3,000 per declaration	Manufacturers (cars, electronics) and urgent shipments
Kamigumi	Import: ¥8,000-¥12,000 / Export: ¥6,000-¥10,000	Heavy industries, Kobe/Osaka port users
Yusen Logistics	Import: ¥8,000-¥12,000 / Export: ¥6,000-¥10,000	Large shippers, sea-air, and automotive logistics
DHL Global Forwarding	Import: ¥8,600 (≤¥201k) – ¥11,000 (>¥201k) / Export: ¥4,200-¥5,000	Small/medium businesses and startups wanting flexible service

What customs brokers do

• Register you with NACCS
• Classify your products (HS codes are 6- to 10-digit numbers that customs authorities worldwide use to categorize and identify traded products)
• Prepare customs declarations
• Pay duties on your behalf
• Coordinate inspections
• Arrange delivery

Total cost for general setup

¥20,000-¥65,000 (NACCS plus broker setup)

Timeline – 1 week

Product-Specific Licenses in Detail

Food and Beverages

What you need

• MHLW import notification, 食品等輸入届出 (every shipment). This is a free notification, not a paid license. It’s filed with the quarantine station under Food Sanitation Act Article 27, either on paper or electronically through FAINS (linked to NACCS).
• Food Business Operator’s License (if selling in Japan)

Cost

• The notification itself is free.
• Testing, documentation, and registration setup cost ¥50,000-¥200,000.
• Ongoing costs run ¥5,000-¥30,000 per shipment, primarily for lab testing when required.

Timeline: Notification review typically takes a few business days once documents are complete. Testing, if your product is selected, adds time.

Who approves

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, via regional quarantine stations (検疫所)

10 to 30% of food shipments get randomly inspected. Repeated violations by the same product or manufacturer can trigger mandatory inspection (命令検査) status, where the importer bears full lot-testing costs.

Cosmetics

What you need

• Cosmetics Manufacturing/Sales License
• Product registration for each item
• Qualified supervisor (pharmaceutical background)

Cost

¥200,000-¥500,000 for the first 5 products

Who approves

MHLW through prefectural offices

You must have a licensed supervisor on staff or as a consultant.

Electrical Products (PSE)

What you need

PSE certification for each product model

Two types

• Category A / 特定電気用品 covers hair dryers, TVs, microwaves, and 116 other designated higher-risk items that require third-party registered certification body review. It costs ¥300,000-¥800,000 and takes 3-6 months.
• Category B / 特定電気用品以外の電気用品 covers most electronics (341 items) at lower risk, where self-declaration is generally permitted. It costs ¥100,000-¥300,000 and takes 1-3 months.

Who approves

METI (via registered conformity assessment bodies for Category A)

2026 update

Enforcement has tightened specifically around lithium-ion battery products (power banks, e-bike and e-scooter batteries) and USB-C fast chargers, following continued incidents of fire and battery rupture. METI has increased import spot-checks and corrective guidance targeting these categories. If your product line includes a lithium-ion battery or USB-C fast-charging component, budget extra review time and confirm your technical standard conformity is current.

Every model variation needs separate certification.

Wireless Devices (Giteki)

What you need

Technical Standards Conformity Certification. Japan uses a two-stage system. 技術基準適合証明 covers per-unit certification for smaller runs, and 工事設計認証 covers construction design certification for mass production, which requires factory documentation.

Cost

Typically ¥300,000-¥800,000 for the certification process, though real per-unit cost drops significantly at volume. For example, certifying 500 units of one model can bring effective per-model cost to roughly ¥350,000 total. Cost also depends on how many frequency bands or modes your device supports, since each mode may require separate testing.

Timeline: 2-4 months

Who approves

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (via registered certification bodies)

Selling devices without Giteki is a criminal offense.

Alcohol

What you need

This depends on what you’re actually doing with the alcohol, and getting this wrong is one of the most common mistakes importers make.

• Importing alcohol to resell to other businesses (wholesale). You need an Import/Export Liquor Wholesale License (輸出入酒類卸売業免許 / Yushutsunyū Shurui Oroshiuri-gyō Menkyo) from the National Tax Agency (国税庁). This is a separate license from retail licenses, and it’s the one most import businesses actually need.
• Selling directly to consumers from a physical store. General Retail Liquor License (一般酒類小売業免許)
• Selling directly to consumers online or by mail order across multiple prefectures. Mail-Order Retail Liquor License (通信販売酒類小売業免許). This license has volume and sourcing restrictions. Domestically produced alcohol from large manufacturers (3,000+ kiloliters/year per category) generally cannot be sold this way, though imported alcohol has no such volume restriction.

Cost

¥150,000-¥700,000 depending on license type and whether you use a specialist

Timeline: 4-6 weeks

Requirements

About ¥10M in capital is recommended, along with a proper storage facility and, for wholesale, a credible business plan showing supplier relationships and sales channels.

Approval rate

70 to 80%

Used Goods

What you need

Secondhand Dealer License (古物商許可)

Cost: ¥19,000

Timeline: 40-60 days

Who approves: Prefectural police

Even online-only businesses need this.

Used cars are the classic example. Japan’s used-vehicle export trade runs through wholesale auto auctions that are generally open only to licensed dealers. That is why overseas buyers usually go through a Japanese auction agent and exporter such as Japan Motor, which bids on their behalf, arranges inspections, prepares the export certificate and books shipping to the destination port. If you plan to run a vehicle export business yourself, you’ll need this license before you can buy at auction, plus a temporary export deregistration certificate (輸出抹消仮登録証明書) for every car you ship.

Exporting From Japan, Security Trade Controls You Can’t Skip

Most import guides focus on getting goods into Japan. If you’re also exporting from Japan, there’s a separate compliance layer that’s easy to overlook. Security trade controls fall under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (外国為替及び外国貿易法 / Gaitame-hō).

What this actually requires

Every export shipment, and certain technology transfers, needs a self-assessed determination of whether the goods or technology fall under Japan’s export control regulations. This isn’t optional paperwork. The responsibility sits with the exporter, and skipping it can constitute a violation regardless of intent.

Two regulation types apply

• List regulation (リスト規制). Checks whether your product or technology appears on the control list in Appended Table 1 of the Export Trade Control Order (輸出貿易管理令別表第1). If it’s listed, you need METI export approval before shipping.
• Catch-all regulation (キャッチオール規制). Even if your product isn’t list-regulated, you still need to assess whether it could be diverted toward weapons development, based on end use and end user. This applies broadly and is separate from list regulation.

該非判定 (gaihi hantei), denial or non-applicability determination

This is the actual self-assessment exporters must perform and document for each transaction, determining whether their goods or technology are subject to control. Relying solely on a supplier’s or manufacturer’s prior determination isn’t sufficient. The exporter is responsible for their own assessment.

Destination matters

Japan maintains a Group A whitelist of countries with streamlined treatment, 26 countries as of 2026, including the US, EU members, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and others. Countries can move on or off this list. Russia and Belarus were removed from Group A in 2022, for example. Shipments to non-Group A destinations, or to sanctioned entities, face stricter scrutiny.

What this means practically for import/export businesses

• If you’re exporting anything beyond simple consumer goods, especially electronics, chemicals, or dual-use items, budget time for a formal 該非判定 before your first shipment.
• Keep your assessment documented; this is what regulators expect if your export is ever questioned.
• Regulations here change periodically. METI updated operational guidance as recently as February 2026, and country classifications are reviewed as geopolitical conditions shift.

How to Apply for Your License

Step 1. Classify Your Products

Use HS codes to determine duties and required licenses.

• Visit the Japan Customs Tariff Database
• Search your product name
• Find the 6-10 digit code

Examples

• Women’s cotton T-shirts → 6109.10 → No special license
• Bluetooth headphones → 8518.30 → Needs PSE + Giteki
• Organic tea → 0902.10 → Needs food import notification

When unsure, consult a customs broker. Misclassification is the #1 cause of delays.

Step 2. Gather Required Documents

Documents needed for all applications

• Corporate registration certificate (登記事項証明書)
• Company seal certificate (印鑑証明書)
• Articles of Incorporation
• Representative director’s ID
• Business plan
• Office lease agreement

Product-specific additions

• Food. Ingredient lists, manufacturing certificates, test reports
• Cosmetics. Formula sheets, safety assessments, supervisor qualifications
• Electrical. Technical specs, circuit diagrams, user manuals (Japanese)
• Chemicals. Safety data sheets, substance identity, intended use

All foreign documents need certified Japanese translation (¥15,000-¥50,000).

Step 3. Submit Applications

Application processes vary by product type. Your customs broker or administrative scrivener will guide you through the specific requirements for your category. Key agencies include the following.

• Food. MHLW via FAINS online system (typically a few business days for a notification number once documents are complete; the notification itself is free)
• Cosmetics. Prefectural office (requires a qualified supervisor first)
• Electrical and wireless. METI-registered testing labs (1-4 months testing time; expect extra scrutiny if your product includes a lithium-ion battery or USB-C fast-charging function)
• Alcohol. Regional tax office (requires confirming the correct license type, wholesale vs. retail vs. mail-order, before applying)
• Used goods. Local police station
• Exports subject to security trade controls. Self-assessed 該非判定 (gaihi hantei) documentation, with METI export license application if list-regulated

For detailed application procedures, contact SmartStart Japan or refer to our product-specific licensing guides.

What You’ll Actually Pay

Setup Costs by Business Type

Importing General Consumer Goods (No Special License)

• NACCS registration costs ¥10,000.
• Customs broker setup costs ¥10,000.

Total

¥20,000

Importing Food Products

• NACCS registration costs ¥10,000.
• FAINS registration is free.
• MHLW import notification is free.
• Initial product testing costs ¥50,000-¥100,000.
• Food Business License costs ¥20,000-¥50,000.

Total

¥80,000-¥160,000

Importing Cosmetics (5 products)

• NACCS registration costs ¥10,000.
• Manufacturing/Sales License costs ¥150,000-¥300,000.
• Product registrations (5x) cost ¥50,000-¥150,000.
• Qualified supervisor (annual) costs ¥200,000.

Total, Year 1

¥410,000-¥660,000

Importing Electronics (2 models with Bluetooth)

• NACCS registration costs ¥10,000.
• PSE certification (2 models) costs ¥200,000-¥600,000.
• Giteki certification (2x models) costs ¥600,000-¥1,600,000, lower if certified at volume.

Total

¥810,000-¥2,210,000

Importing Alcohol for Wholesale

• NACCS registration costs ¥10,000.
• Import/Export Liquor Wholesale License costs ¥30,000-¥150,000. This varies, and effective cost is higher when using a specialist.
• Facility setup costs ¥100,000-¥500,000.

Total

¥140,000-¥660,000

Ongoing Costs

Per shipment

• Customs broker fees run ¥15,000-¥50,000.
• Food testing, if required, runs ¥30,000-¥100,000.
• Import duties run 0-20% of value, depending on the product.
• Consumption tax runs 8-10% of value plus duties.

Annual

• NACCS system fees run ¥30,000-¥100,000.
• License renewals run ¥10,000-¥50,000.
• Cosmetics supervisor costs run ¥120,000-¥360,000.
• Compliance monitoring runs ¥50,000-¥200,000.

2026 Alert: The De Minimis Exemption May Be Ending

If your business sells to Japanese consumers via international mail or courier, not commercial bulk import, but direct-to-consumer cross-border sales, a change proposed in Japan’s FY2026 tax reform outline is worth tracking.

Current rule

Personal imports valued at ¥10,000 or less (using a special 0.6x valuation calculation on the overseas retail price) have generally been exempt from customs duty and consumption tax. This exemption has been widely used by cross-border e-commerce sellers shipping directly to Japanese buyers.

What’s changing

The FY2026 tax reform outline calls for scrapping the 0.6x special valuation rule and bringing low-value cross-border e-commerce sales into the consumption tax net. Under the proposed framework, overseas platform operators or sellers above a certain sales threshold would register and collect Japanese consumption tax directly, rather than relying on the import de minimis exemption. Japan’s Ministry of Finance has cited the sharp rise in low-value import volume (roughly 209 million duty/tax-exempt shipments in 2025, up 20% year-over-year) as the driver.

What’s still unclear

Effective dates differ across the proposals; some elements point to a 2028 implementation tied to the platform-operator registration scheme, while general reporting has framed the change as part of the FY2026 reform cycle more broadly. The exact timeline and mechanics were still being finalized as of mid-2026.

If this affects your business

If any part of your model relies on the ¥10,000 de minimis exemption for direct-to-consumer shipments into Japan, start planning for its removal now rather than waiting for a final implementation date.

Timelines: How Long It Takes

Business Type	Minimum Timeline	Typical Timeline	Maximum Timeline
General goods	2 weeks	3 weeks	4 weeks
Food/beverages	4 weeks	6 weeks	10 weeks
Cosmetics	8 weeks	12 weeks	16 weeks
Alcohol	6 weeks	8 weeks	12 weeks
Electrical (PSE only)	8 weeks	12 weeks	24 weeks
Electronics (PSE + Giteki)	12 weeks	20 weeks	28 weeks
Chemicals	12 weeks	24 weeks	52 weeks
Pharmaceuticals	24 weeks	52 weeks	104 weeks

Critical Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake #1. Starting to Import Before Getting Licenses

The problem

Goods arrive at the port, but you don’t have the required permits. The result can be confiscation or expensive storage fees while you scramble for licenses.

How to avoid it

Complete all license applications before placing your first order. Build a 2 to 6 month buffer for regulated products.

Mistake #2. Incorrect Product Classification

The problem

Using the wrong HS code means the wrong duty rate, and it can also mean missing required licenses.

How to avoid it

Use the Japan Customs tariff database, cross-check with a customs broker, and verify with JETRO if uncertain.

Mistake #3. Underestimating Certification Timelines

The problem

You plan to launch in 3 months, but PSE certification takes 5 months. Your business launch gets delayed.

How to avoid it

Start the certification process immediately after company incorporation. Don’t wait until products are ready to ship.

Mistake #4. Applying for the Wrong License Category

The problem

This shows up most often with alcohol. An importer applies for a general retail liquor license, then discovers they actually need the Import/Export Liquor Wholesale License to legally bring product in and sell to other businesses. The application process starts over, costing weeks.

How to avoid it

Before applying for any product-specific license, confirm exactly which sub-category applies to your actual business model (wholesale vs. retail, domestic vs. import-specific) with the approving agency directly. A five-minute confirmation call can save a six-week resubmission.

Conclusion

Licensing and compliance form the foundation of a successful import-export business in Japan. The key is starting early. Begin license applications immediately after incorporation, not when your products are ready to ship. For general consumer goods, the process is straightforward. Register with NACCS through a customs broker and start importing within 2 to 3 weeks. For regulated products, budget 2 to 6 months for approvals.

SmartStart Japan's team is ready to help you streamline your setup and focus on growing your business. Contact us to discuss your specific import-export needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a special license to import into Japan?

Only regulated categories require one. These include electronics, food, cosmetics, alcohol, wireless devices, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and used goods. General consumer goods like clothing or home decor only require basic customs registration through NACCS.

How long does it take to get an import license in Japan?

It depends on the product. General goods clear customs registration in 2 to 3 weeks. Regulated products range from 4 weeks (food) to over a year (pharmaceuticals). Budget a 2- to 6-month buffer for any regulated product before your first shipment.

Can I import into Japan without a Japanese company?

Most product-specific licenses (food, cosmetics, alcohol, PSE, Giteki) require a Japan-incorporated entity or a registered in-country representative, since licenses are tied to a domestic responsible party. General customs registration for consumer goods can sometimes be handled through a broker without full incorporation, but regulated categories generally require one.

What's the difference between PSE and Giteki certification?

PSE (電気用品安全法) applies to electrical products generally — anything with a plug. Giteki (技術基準適合証明) applies specifically to wireless/radio-emitting devices, Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular. A Bluetooth speaker with a power cord may need both.

Do I need an export license to ship products out of Japan?

You need to perform a self-assessed export control determination (該非判定 / gaihi hantei) for every export, checking against Japan's List regulation and Catch-all regulation under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Most consumer goods clear this quickly, but the assessment itself isn't optional.