Service 03
Selling your product into Japan
Good products often fail to reach Japan for reasons that have nothing to do with quality: no buyer to sell to, a language and business-culture gap, and import requirements that differ by category. We act as your sales agent and distributor for Japan. Our management is Japanese, so we take the product to Japanese buyers through our business network, carry the negotiation in Japanese, and work through the requirements with you before anything ships.
- Sales agent and distributor for Japan
- Any product, any origin
- Negotiation in Japanese
- Import and labelling requirements checked
We do not stop at introductions. Handing a manufacturer a list of Japanese importers rarely produces an order, because the first conversation, the follow-up and the paperwork all happen in Japanese and on Japanese terms. We stand in as your sales agent or distributor for Japan and carry that relationship, so you can concentrate on the product and on supply.
What Japan requires depends heavily on the product. Food imports are notified to the Japanese authorities by the importer; many fresh products, fruit in particular, can only be shipped once Japan has opened its market to that product from the exporting country, and plant products must pass plant quarantine; and the label has to carry the information Japanese law requires, in Japanese. We check the requirement for your specific product before you commit to a shipment, rather than after it has been held at the port.
We take any product to Japanese buyers — food and agricultural produce, seafood, furniture, consumer goods, industrial products — wherever it is made. For goods shipped from Vietnam we handle the export side ourselves: documents, certificate of origin where a tariff preference applies, logistics and export customs. For goods made elsewhere we arrange the shipment to Japan with you.
What this includes
Sales agent and distributor for Japan
We represent your product to Japanese buyers and carry the commercial relationship, rather than handing you a list of contacts.
Negotiation in Japanese
Japanese management handles the negotiation, the follow-up and the correspondence in Japanese, following Japanese business practice.
Requirements checked product by product
Import requirements, market access for fresh produce, and labelling rules checked for your specific product before you commit.
Japanese labelling
Support on what the Japanese label must carry for your category, checked before the goods are packed for export.
Export and shipment
Commercial documents, certificate of origin where a preference applies, logistics and customs — from Vietnam or from wherever your goods are made.
How it works
- 01 Product review We look at the product, its category and its current documents, and tell you what Japan will require.
- 02 Buyer approach We take the product to Japanese buyers through our network and handle the negotiation in Japanese.
- 03 Roles and terms agreed Who imports, who files the import notifications and who holds the stock — agreed in writing before the first shipment.
- 04 Labelling and documents Japanese labelling requirements checked, and export documents prepared to match.
- 05 First shipment and follow-up Export, arrival and the buyer’s response, reported back to you.
What we do — and the promises we keep
We put both in writing, so you know exactly what to expect from us.
We do
- Act as your sales agent or distributor for Japan
- Take your product to Japanese buyers and negotiate in Japanese
- Check import requirements and market access for your specific product
- Advise on Japanese labelling requirements for your product
- Handle export documents, logistics and customs for the shipment to Japan
What we will not do
- We do not guarantee that a buyer will take your product, or at what price
- We do not promise market access for a product Japan has not opened to your country
- We do not quote sales volumes before Japanese buyers have seen the product
- We do not make health or efficacy claims that Japanese law does not permit
Before you write to us
You do not need all of this to start a conversation — but the more of it you have, the faster we can give you a real answer instead of a range.
- Product description, ingredients or materials, and specification
- Where the product is made, and how much you can supply
- Certifications you already hold (for example HACCP, ISO or organic)
- Current packaging and labels
- Your current selling price and terms
- Whether you already have any buyer or partner in Japan
Frequently asked questions
Do you act as a distributor, or only make introductions?
We act as your sales agent or distributor for Japan and carry the relationship with the buyer. We do not stop at handing over contacts.
We have no buyer in Japan yet. Is that a problem?
No — that is the part we take on. You concentrate on the product and on supply; we take it to Japanese buyers and handle the negotiation in Japanese.
Which products can be exported to Japan?
Any product can be offered to Japanese buyers — food and agricultural produce, seafood, furniture, consumer goods and industrial products alike. The legal gate to know about: many fresh items, fruit in particular, can only be shipped once Japan has opened its market to that product from your country, and plant products must pass plant quarantine. We check this product by product.
Who acts as the importer in Japan?
That is agreed for each case. The importer is the party that files the import notifications in Japan, so who takes that role is settled in writing with you and the Japanese buyer before the first shipment.
Our product is not made in Vietnam. Can you still help?
Yes. We take products to Japanese buyers wherever they are made. For goods shipped from Vietnam we handle the export ourselves; for goods shipped from elsewhere we arrange the shipment to Japan with you.
We are a buyer in Japan looking for Vietnamese products. Is this the right page?
This page is for producers who want to sell to Japanese buyers. If you are the buyer, our Sourcing from Vietnam service is the one for you: we find and check the Vietnamese supplier and handle the export.
Import requirements described on this page are general and depend on the product category. We confirm the current requirements for your specific product before any shipment, and this page is not legal advice.
Guides for this service
Practical, step-by-step notes written from Ho Chi Minh City, with sources and the date we checked them.
Contact
Tell us what you want to buy or sell — in Vietnam or Japan
Selling into Vietnam or Japan, sourcing from either, or a product made under your own brand. One Japanese-managed team in Ho Chi Minh City, working in English, Japanese and Vietnamese.