Shipping from China to Japan

Shipping From China To Japan: Comprehensive Guide 2025

China is the biggest trading partner of Japan. Both countries import and export hundreds of billions of dollars of goods every year. Today, we will see in detail the process of shipping from China to Japan.

Do you want to import your products to Japan from China? You can contact us directly because Bansarship has years of experience in transporting goods to and from Japan. 

Our team will pick up your cargo from a Chinese manufacturer, do customs clearance in China and Japan and then finally deliver the package to your desired Japanese location. You will also receive a free warehousing facility.

How To Do Shipping From China To Japan?

The following are the stepwise guidelines for transporting goods to Japan from China.

1. Do Proper Packaging & Labeling Of Your Shipment 

After your products are manufactured in China, you have to do proper packaging. It requires sturdy material so that no damage will happen to the item during shipping to Japan. After that, labeling is also necessary to identify your shipment.

Label the cartons with the required information like handling instructions, sender’s information, receiver’s address, and number of items.

2. Find A Right Freight Forwarder in China

Now, find the right Chinese freight forwarder to ship your products to a Japanese seaport or airport. proceed with the process. For this purpose, you have to do proper research by reaching out to different forwarders and getting their quote.

Discuss your requirements and problems with them and see how they give you the answer. Moreover, check their network and experience, and ask for their legal certificates. In this way, you will find the right one for your shipment. 

By following these steps you can avoid the fake ones who waste your time and money.

3. Clear Customs in China And Japan Ports

If you want, your freight forwarder can handle customs for you. He will clear the customs in China for loading it onto the vessel. But to get approved by these authorities, you have to prepare a lot of documents and pay export tax to them. A professional forwarder like Bansar in China will complete this process in a matter of minutes.

For the import in Japan, the same or a little bit different documents and import duties are required. Your forwarder will also handle customs there. The documents needed are:

• An Airway Bill or Bill of lading is provided by the carrier of your freight.
• Commercial Invoice includes all the information of your cargo. It is provided by the exporter of your goods.
• A Certificate of Origin is required to ensure that the products are manufactured in China.
• The Packing List has all the information about your cargo.
• Insurance certificate to protect your items.

4. Track Your Shipment

You can check the location of the shipment during its journey. Your shipper in China will provide you with the tracking number. You have to put it on their website tracking page to monitor your cargo. This way you will literally watch every hour how your goods are coming from China to Japan by covering different sea or air routes.

5. Receive Your Cargo in Japan

Finally, you can take your cargo from the seaport or airport of Japan. Now, you need to hire a local carrier to move it to your place. The place can be an Amazon or Walmart warehouse, your own storage space, or your commercial store.

Shipping Methods From China To Japan

Shipping modes are the ways through which your cargo will reach Japan from Chinese cities. You can choose from the following routes for your cargo based on your urgency and budget.

1. Shipping By Air

Air freight is used to transport high-value items. One of the major benefits of using this method is its efficiency. In 2-3 days of your order, your cargo will be in your hands. However, it is expensive compared to other methods of shipping.

Major Airlines To Import From China To Japan

The top airlines used globally for moving cargo between these countries are:

• China Cargo Airlines
• Asiana Airlines
• UPS
• All Nippon Airways
• Federal Express
• China Southern Airlines
• British Air Cargo
• Japan Airlines
• Qatar Airways Cargo

China Airports For Importing to Japan

Some of the leading airports in China which deal with shipping to Japan are:

• Chengdu Shuangliu Airport 
• Guangzhou Baiyun Airport 
• Shanghai Hongqiao Airport 
• Shanghai Pudong Airport 
• Shenzhen Baoan Airport 
• Beijing Airport 
• Hong Kong Airport 
• Xi’an Xianyang Airport 
• Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport 
• Kunming Changshui Airport

Japan Airports For Imports From China

The mostly used airports in Japan for receiving goods from China are:

• Narita International Airport
• Osaka International Airport
• Kansai International Airport
• Chūbu Centrair Airport
• Tokyo International Airport

2. Shipping Via Ocean – Cheapest Way To Japan

The most economical way to ship goods to Japan from China is through ocean freight. You can transport light, heavy, or heaviest cargo through this mode of transport. However, this method does not provide urgent deliveries. Therefore, don’t choose sea freight if you need your goods in Japanese cities as early as possible.

There are two ways of shipping via the ocean. One is FCL while the other is LCL. The FCL (Full Container Load) method gives you the whole container for your goods. On the other hand, the LCL (Less than Container Load) gives shared space to your cargo in the container. As a result, it is cheaper than FCL mode.

China Seaports For Shipping To Japan

There are various seaports in China. But the major ones used for transporting cargo to  Japan are:

• Shanghai Port deals with 43.3 million TEUs annually. It is the busiest port in China in terms of container traffic.
• Guangzhou Port is one of the main seaports used for Japanese exports. It is also connected to 80 other countries for trade.
• Ningbo-Zhoushan Port deals with over 90 economies of the world. It has the capacity to handle over 100 million tons of goods every year.

Some other ports that are also used to move your goods include: 

• Tianjin Port 
• Xiamen Port 
• Qingdao Port
• Yantai Port 
• Port of Rizhao 
• Port of Zhenjiang 

Japan Seaports For Receiving Goods From China 

The ports of Japan that import goods from China are:

• Tokyo Port is the largest port in Japan. It can handle cargo of 100 million tonnes and 4.5 million TEUs of containers.
• Osaka Port covers over 4,684 hectares of land. It has 70 oceangoing and 111 coastal berths.
• Wakkanai Port has 1,800 hectares and can accommodate 1.5 million tons of cargo.

In addition, some other seaports of Japan are:

• Kutsugata Port
• Muroran Port
• Sendai Port
• Port of Yokaichi
• Miyako Port
• Port of Shimonoseki
• Shiraoi Port
• Naha Port
• Funagawa Port
• Nanao Port

3. Express & Door-to-Door Shipping 

If you want your shipment in Japan on an urgent basis, you can go for the express option. It is the fastest way of shipping from China to Japan. You will get your shipment within 24 hours. Moreover, for more ease, you can opt for door-to-door delivery. 

Through this, your cargo is picked up from the location of your Chinese manufacturer and then delivered to the port in China. From there it is shipped to the port of Japan and picked up from there to your door or the provided location.

China to Japan Shipping Cost

The cost of transporting goods to Japanese cities from Chinese locations depends on different factors. The airfreight charges are usually higher than ocean freight. Moreover, express delivery is more costly than air freight. If you have a tight budget, go for a cheaper option like LCL. However, it may take more time but save your money. 

Furthermore, you also have to pay for local transportation of goods. Port handling charges, freight forwarder’s cost, paperwork, and customs fees must be included in your budget. Your origin and destination ports also define the cost of importing your cargo from China to Japan. However, the estimated freight charges are:

How Long Is Shipping From China To Japan?

The transit time is decided by the shipping distance and mode of transport. It may fluctuate due to peak seasons and severe weather conditions. However, sometimes customs delays also impact shipping time. Here is the estimated transit duration to ship your products from China to Japan.

Things You Can Transport From China To Japan

China mostly exports textile products, electronics, medical equipment, and food to Japan. Some items are transported by air while some are by ocean freight. Let’s have a look at each of them:

Which Items Can Be Shipped By Air?

Generally, fragile, time-sensitive, and high-value goods are moved through airfreight. So, the goods imported from China to Japan via air include:

• Smartphones and their accessories
• Laptops and their accessories
• Electronic parts
• Components of luxury vehicles
• Perishables
• Medicines and clinical supplies
• Industrial equipments

Which Items Can Be Shipped By Sea?

Generally, you can transport bulky materials through ocean freight to Japan from Chinese ports. These include:

• Liquid bulk like petroleum, crude oil, and fuel
• Mineral items
• Chemicals
• Raw materials
• Heavy equipment
• Garments and accessories
• Livestock
• Liquified gasses

How To Handle Dangerous Goods?

If you want to move dangerous chemicals from China to Japan, you must have certifications for them. These materials might pose serious health problems to the person handling them. Therefore, special care and attention are required to package, load, and unload them. The documents you must have during shipping of these products are:

• International Air Transport Association (IATA) documents
• Hazmat declaration form 
• Hazardous goods manifest
• Packaging license

Restricted Items To Ship To Japan From China

Japan does not allow the import of certain products. These are:

• Sedative drugs like heroin, MDMA, cannabis, cocaine, stimulants, opium, etc.
• Radioactive elements
• Oxidizing agents
• Germs used for biological warfare
• Explosives and flammable materials like armaments, gunpowder, bombs, etc.
• Firearms
• Bank notes and counterfeit credit cards
• Pornographic books, drawings, or paintings
• Animal-based products like milk, meat, or eggs