Taxes for Overseas Sellers on Amazon Japan
Expanding your reach by selling on Amazon Japan is a no-brainer.
However, Japanese tax regulations and laws can be a bit of a minefield. Finding the information you need as a foreign overseas seller is extremely difficult.
Confusion over Japanese tax laws is one of the major stumbling blocks (along with understanding the language) for overseas sellers on Amazon Japan. We’ve dug deep and gathered all the information we could find to help you out. Read this updated post about Amazon taxes in Japan.

Tax laws and regulations in Japan
Let me begin by saying that I am not a legal tax representative or Japanese tax agent. All information presented here is based
A full reference list can be found here [at the end of this article]
NOTE: We are experts in selling on Amazon and
What experience do we have? We (Rising Sun Commerce) have imported goods into Japan using sea freight, submitted all necessary paperwork and paid all taxes and duties to get these goods through Japanese customs. We have delivered goods to Amazon warehouses in Japan and sold them via FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) (read our case study here). We have also sold as Merchant Fulfilled and shipped individual products from the UK to Japan via traditional methods (i.e. using the Post Office).
There are two main tax areas to consider when shipping and selling in Japan. One is when you import goods
Japan import tax [AKA Consumption tax] and import duty
When you import your products to Japan they require the necessary paperwork in order to pass through customs and to calculate the import taxes and duty. This includes:
- Bill of Lading (details needed to process the freight shipment and invoice)
- Packing List (what is being shipped, quantity, weight, volume)
- Commercial Invoice (value of the goods)
Your freight company will be able to help you out with all of these documents. A full list of requirements for importing into Japan can be found here (8).
You also need to pay import taxes and duty (plus in some cases other internal taxes [9]).
Import Tax [Consumption Tax] in Japan
Consumption Tax must be paid when your goods pass through customs in Japan, unless their value us under 10,000 Yen (approximately £70 or $90
Again, this is something your shipping company can normally handle for you;
Import Duty
For your goods to pass through customs you also need to pay import duty. This is worked out as a % of the customs value of your goods. It can range from 0% to 30%, but as
-
- Alcoholic Beverages
– Wine: 70 yen/l
– Some of
– Sake, Some of
- Tomato Ketchup, Ice Cream, Dropped
furskins , Article of apparel, etc.: 20% - Coffee, Tea excluding Black Tea, Gelatine, Clues, Tanned or Dressed
furskins excluding Droppedfurskins , etc.: 15% - Vegetables and fruits for food, Seaweeds, etc.: 10%
- Tableware, Furniture, Toys, Games, etc.: 3%
- Rubber, Paper, etc.: Free
- Other Products: 5%.
Again, your shipping company can normally arrange the import duty to be paid, but they will need to know the correct category for your product in order to pay the correct duty costs. For
Taxes on Sales on Amazon Japan
The most confusion when it comes to taxes in Japan is that of sales tax. This is especially true for foreign sellers who have a company overseas but store their products in Japan (Point of Sale in Japan) and sell to Japanese people, as you do when you use FBA in Japan.
The confusion lies in whether or not you need to
Do Amazon Japan sellers pay Consumption Tax on sales?
From our research (1-24) it appears that if you store your products in Japan (i.e. in an Amazon warehouse in Japan) and sell to Japanese people you are treated the same as if you were a Japanese registered company. Again, we are not Japan tax experts and we have no legal qualifications in tax; however, from several conversations with agencies who deal with tax in Japan this is the advice they give (2, 5) :
If sales are below 10 Million Yen (approximately £68,000 or $88,000
Once you reach the 10 Million Yen level you will need to seek professional tax advice (5).
What if you self-fulfill your Amazon orders to Japan?
If you sell on Amazon Japan but post your orders directly from another country (Merchant Fulfilment on Amazon Japan) then you do not need to worry about consumption taxes (both on imports or on sales) or import duties (4). See the process of posting something to Japan from the UK here.
Any products under 10,000 Yen (approximately £70 or $90
Summary of Taxes for Overseas Amazon Japan Sellers
Taxes are confusing at the best of times, never mind when you are selling in a foreign country where you cannot understand the language and have no experience in sales.
In this article, we have covered the important aspects when it comes to overseas sellers on Amazon Japan. We are not tax agents or legal advisers;
The conclusion is:
- If you self-fulfill you don’t pay taxes (if the product sale is over 10,000 Yen the customer pays taxes)
- If using FBA and your sales are under 10 Million Yen for the accounting period you don’t pay sales taxes but you do pay import [consumption] tax and duty
- If using FBA and
you sales are over 10 Million Yen you need to register for Consumption Tax, add this to your sale price, and file all necessary tax returns if you have an office in Japan.
References & Useful Links
1. www.exporttojapan.co.uk
2. www.ebiz-japan.com/
3. www.eubusinessinjapan.eu
4. www.j-wire.info/
5. eu-japan.eu/
6. www.bluewheele.com
7. www.jetro.go.jp/en/
8. www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/import.htm
9. www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/tariff.htm#Other_Internal_Taxes
10. www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/tariff.htm
11. www.gov.uk/topic/business-tax/vat
12. www.parcelhero.com/blog/expert-shipping-advice/guide-sending-parcel-japan
13. www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/imtsukan/1204_e.htm
14. www.nta.go.jp/taxanswer/shohi/6101.htm
15. services.amazon.com/global-selling/taxes-regulations.html
16. www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/how-to-sell-through-amazon-japan
17. services.amazon.co.jp/services/out-of-country/en/local-laws.html
18. www.eubusinessinjapan.eu/issues/financial-issues/taxes-accounting/consumption-taxes/consumption-tax
19. www.eubusinessinjapan.eu/issues/financial-issues/taxes-accounting/consumption-taxes/foreign-business-and-consumption-tax
20. mywifequitherjob.com/how-to-sell-on-amazon-in-the-uk-canada-europe-japan/
21. ecommdo.com/podcast-04/
22. www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest/setting_up/laws/section3/page6.html
23. blog.gaijinpot.com/consumption-tax-increase-japan/
24. japanconsult.com/taxes-in-japan-for-corporations/
25. www.nta.go.jp/foreign_language/consumption_tax/04.htm
FREE SELLER GUIDE & 16 STEP LAUNCH PLAN
We wrote this guide to help you better understand selling on Amazon Japan. With this information, you can make an informed, intelligent decision as to whether selling on Amazon Japan might be a good fit for you.
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- 5 Misconceptions about Selling on Amazon Japan.
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