Amazon FBA Japan: The Complete Guide for Foreign Sellers
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) lets overseas sellers store inventory in Amazon's Japanese warehouses, with Amazon handling picking, packing, shipping, and customer service in Japanese.
For sellers ready to start selling in a new market, Amazon FBA is the lowest-friction route into Japan — but there are import, tax, and logistics requirements that every seller must sort out before sending a single unit.
This guide covers everything: how to set up your seller account, how FBA works end-to-end in Japan, what the fees look like in 2026, how to handle customs and consumption tax, and how to build listings that convert Japanese customers.
Why sell on Amazon Japan?
Amazon Japan gets over 550 million visits per month and generates more than $13 billion USD in net annual sales. It is the third-largest Amazon marketplace in the world.
Additionally, competition is lower than on Amazon US or Amazon EU, especially for foreign brands, which means reaching Japanese customers is genuinely achievable if you invest in the right setup.
Japan's e-commerce market continues to grow every year. Japanese customers are known for high standards around delivery speed, product quality, and detailed product information. Meeting those standards is demanding — but sellers who do it earn strong loyalty and reviews that compound over time.
Selling on Amazon Japan also diversifies your revenue. If sales in one marketplace dip due to ranking changes, new competition, or algorithm shifts, a healthy Japan store provides a buffer.
👉 Read also: 6 Best Japanese Online Marketplace For Your Business
How Amazon FBA Japan works
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) means you ship your inventory to Amazon's Japanese fulfillment centers. Amazon then stores it, picks and packs each order, ships it to customers, and handles customer service and returns—all in Japanese.
The core flow for an overseas seller looks like this:
Register a seller account on Amazon.co.jp via Seller Central (セラー セントラル).
List your products in Japanese. Listing quality drives everything downstream, including titles, bullet points, descriptions, and images that must all meet Amazon Japan's standards.
Get your inventory physically and legally into Japan. This step is where many first-time sellers run into problems (more on this below).
Prep and label each unit with its FNSKU barcode and any required packaging.
Create an inbound shipment plan in Seller Central. Amazon assigns which fulfillment center(s) to send your stock to.
Ship your inventory to the designated Amazon warehouse inside Japan.
Amazon receives, stores, and makes your products Prime-eligible.
Orders are fulfilled automatically. Amazon picks, packs, ships, and manages customer service and returns in Japanese.
Once your inventory is live, you can manage everything — listings, inventory levels, ads, and performance data — from Seller Central regardless of where you are in the world.
Setting up your seller account
Choosing a selling plan
Amazon Japan offers two selling plans:
Individual plan: 100 yen (excluding tax) per item sold, plus referral fees. Best for sellers listing fewer than 49 items per month or testing the market before committing.
Professional plan: 4,900 yen per month (excluding tax), regardless of how many units you sell. Required for sponsored product ads, access to restricted categories, and the ability to add new products to the Amazon Japan catalogue.
Most sellers who are serious about growing a Japan store should start on the Professional plan. The 4,900 a month excluding tax fee unlocks advertising tools, detailed sales reporting, and category access that are difficult to do without at any meaningful scale.
👉 Read also: Sole Proprietorship in Japan: Your Quickstart Guide
What you need to register
Before you begin the sign-up process, have the following ready:
A valid government-issued ID (passport is standard for non-Japanese applicants)
Business registration documents for your company
A bank account for receiving sales proceeds (a foreign bank account is accepted — you do not need a Japanese bank account)
A credit card for paying Amazon fees
A phone number for account verification
That last item is where many overseas sellers hit their first wall. Amazon requires a valid Japanese address on your seller account. It is used for official correspondence from Amazon Japan and for any legal or tax-related notices sent to your account.
If you do not have a physical office or entity in Japan, a virtual business address covers this requirement.
MailMate provides a verified Japan business address that Amazon accepts for seller registration, company incorporation, and official correspondence. Your mail gets scanned, translated into English, and accessible online from wherever you are. No physical presence required, no mail going unread in an empty office.
Registering from an existing Amazon Account
If you already sell on Amazon US or another marketplace, you can link your Japan seller account through the Sell Globally section in Seller Central.
You do not need to create a separate login.
Amazon's unified account system lets you switch to the Japan marketplace from your existing dashboard, reusing your business details and bank account.
You will need to go through identity verification again for the Japan marketplace, which involves uploading documents and in some cases completing a short video call.
The process is straightforward but can take a few days. Seller Central defaults to Japanese once you are in the Japan marketplace — switch it to English from the account settings.
Registering from scratch
If you are not yet selling on any Amazon marketplace, go to sell.amazon.co.jp and follow the sign-up steps. The registration process asks for your business details, ID documents, bank account information, and your Japan address. Choose the Professional plan from the start if you intend to run ads or list in gated categories.
Restricted and gated categories
Not every product category is open immediately.
Certain products—food, health and beauty, cosmetics, supplements, medical devices, some electronics—require pre-approval before you can list them on Amazon Japan.
Requirements vary by category and can include safety certifications, labeling in Japanese, or documentation specific to Japanese regulations.
Check the category eligibility guidelines in Seller Central before you commit to inventory. Finding out a category is gated after you have already shipped stock to Japan is an expensive mistake.
The import problem
Amazon Japan will not act as your importer of record.
You cannot ship a container directly from China (or anywhere outside Japan) to an Amazon fulfillment center and expect it to clear customs automatically.
Amazon's fulfillment centers receive domestic shipments only. They are not set up to handle import declarations, pay duties, or manage customs clearance on your behalf.
The importer of record (IOR) is the legal entity responsible for declaring your goods to Japan Customs, paying import duties, and ensuring your products meet Japanese regulations.
Every inbound FBA shipment must have an importer of record in place before the goods land.
Your options are:
A Japan-based entity you own, such as a local subsidiary that handles importation in its own name.
A distributor or partner in Japan that imports the goods and forwards them to Amazon.
A third-party logistics (3PL) provider. The 3PL imports, clears customs, preps your inventory (labels, packing), and ships it to the Amazon fulfillment center as a domestic inbound shipment.
Most international sellers use a 3PL. The 3PL receives the goods at a Japanese port, clears customs under its IOR arrangement, preps them in its warehouse, and then sends them to Amazon. This adds cost but removes the biggest operational risk of the entire Japan FBA setup.
Japan consumption tax (JCT) and what it means for your business
Japan's consumption tax (JCT, or 消費税) is currently 10% on most goods and services. A reduced rate of 8% applies to food, non-alcoholic beverages, and newspaper subscriptions. Exports are generally zero-rated.
Two separate JCT obligations to understand
Import JCT is charged when your goods enter Japan, calculated on the customs value. Your importer of record pays this at the border. It is effectively a cost of getting inventory into the country.
Registration as a JCT taxpayer is a separate matter. Japan introduced a qualified invoice (インボイス) system in October 2023. If you are a registered JCT taxpayer, you can issue qualified invoices and claim back the JCT you paid on imports as an input credit. Without registration, that import tax becomes a sunk cost — and certain B2B buyers on Amazon Business may prefer to purchase from registered sellers.
Historically, sellers only had to register for JCT once their Japan taxable sales exceeded 10 million yen annually.
For overseas sellers who want to recover import JCT and trade cleanly, voluntary registration is often worth exploring.
You must appoint a local tax agent in Japan to handle JCT registration and filings with the National Tax Agency (NTA). Registration typically takes two to four weeks once submitted.
Amazon FBA Japan Fees in 2026
Amazon Japan charges FBA fees in yen and updates every year. Make sure you are using current rates when you model profitability.
Selling plan fee
Individual: 100 yen per unit sold (excluding tax)
Professional: 4,900 yen per month excluding tax selling fees
Referral fees
Amazon charges a referral fee on every item sold. The percentage depends on the product category. Most referral fees on Amazon Japan fall between 5% and 15.4% of the sale price (excluding tax selling fees vary by category). Always check the current Amazon Japan fee schedule in Seller Central for your specific category, as rates are updated periodically.
FBA fulfillment fees
Fulfillment fees are charged per unit and based on the product's size tier and weight. The fee covers picking, packing, shipping, customer service, and product returns.
As of the April 2026 update, Amazon Japan reduced fulfillment fees for certain standard-size product ranges to help sellers improve profitability. Large and oversized products also saw storage fee reductions following the April 2025 update.
Monthly storage fees
Storage fees are calculated on the daily average volume your inventory occupies in Amazon's fulfillment centers. Rates are higher during the October to December peak season. Storing products under 1,000 JPY? You continue to receive a 66 yen per-unit discount on fulfillment fees as of 2025.
Long-term storage fees (aged inventory surcharge)
Inventory stored beyond a certain threshold (typically around 270 to 365 days) incurs additional aged inventory surcharges. The April 2026 update introduced more detailed fee tiers for long-term storage. Slow-moving inventory gets expensive fast—review your stock levels regularly via the FBA Inventory page in Seller Central and filter by "Inventory Age."
True landed cost per unit
To model profitability honestly, your full cost calculation should include: product cost + freight to Japan + import duty + import JCT + 3PL or prep fees + FBA fulfillment fee + monthly storage + referral fee + advertising spend. Many sellers discover their margin depends more on size tier and packaging dimensions than on the product price itself.
Creating product listings that sell in Japan
Listing quality directly affects whether Japanese customers find and buy your products. Japanese shoppers expect detailed information, accurate descriptions, and high-quality images. Half-translated listings do not convert.
Title and bullet points
Product titles on Amazon Japan should contain the brand name, product name, key features, size or quantity, and relevant keywords in Japanese. Bullet points (商品 の 特徴) should communicate benefits clearly and in natural Japanese, not word-for-word translations. Machine translation is a starting point, not a final step.
Product images
Amazon Japan follows similar image guidelines to other marketplaces: a white background main image, multiple angles, lifestyle shots, and infographic-style images explaining features. Japanese customers respond well to images that show the product in use and images that highlight specifications numerically. Videos are supported and can significantly increase conversion rates.
Keyword research
Japanese customers search in Japanese. Keywords that work on Amazon US are not directly transferable. Use Amazon Japan's auto-suggest, research competitor listings, and consider tools built specifically for the Japan marketplace. Include both kanji and katakana variants of key terms where relevant.
Pricing in yen
Set prices in yen from the start. Japanese consumers are price-sensitive and comparison-aware. Factor in yen conversion, FBA fees, referral fees, and advertising costs before you set a price point. An item that is profitable on Amazon US may not be at the same margin on Amazon Japan without adjusting the price or cutting other costs.
👉 Read also: How to Do Market Research Like a Japanese
Fulfillment Options: FBA, FBM, and 3PL
FBA is not the only way to fulfill orders on Amazon Japan. Here is a clear comparison:
FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is best for Prime eligibility, fast delivery, and offloading Japanese-language customer service and returns. Storage penalties on slow stock are the main downside. Ideal for proven, fast-moving SKUs.
FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant, or MFN) means you ship each order yourself from abroad. Possible, but Japanese customers expect fast delivery and FBM from overseas rarely meets that standard. Suitable for very large, low-volume items that would incur high FBA storage fees.
Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) lets you fulfill orders from your own warehouse while offering the Prime badge. This requires extremely fast processing and shipping from within Japan, which makes it impractical for most overseas sellers without a local operation.
3PL with FBA prep is the most common setup for international brands. Your 3PL acts as IOR, stores buffer stock, handles prep and labeling, and feeds inventory into Amazon's fulfillment centers on a rolling basis. This avoids overstocking Amazon warehouses (which triggers storage fees) while keeping stock replenishment fast.
Managing inventory effectively
Inventory management is one of the areas sellers most often underestimate when starting selling on Amazon Japan.
Sending too much inventory at once ties up capital and exposes you to storage and aged-inventory surcharges. Sending too little means stockouts, lost sales, and damage to your listing's search ranking. The right approach is to start conservatively, build velocity data over two to three months, and then calibrate your restocking schedule.
Use Seller Central's FBA Inventory dashboard to monitor stock levels, sell-through rates, and reorder alerts. The Inventory Age filter helps you identify items approaching the long-term storage threshold so you can run promotions to clear them before surcharges kick in.
How MailMate can help you operate in Japan
Running an Amazon FBA business in Japan means you need more than just a logistics setup. You need a Japanese business address for company registration, a way to receive official correspondence in Japanese, and sometimes a local presence for regulatory and tax purposes.
That is where MailMate comes in.
MailMate provides a virtual business address in Japan—one of the requirements for registering a company or branch in Japan. Foreign sellers who set up a Japanese legal entity (often needed to act as their own importer of record or for tax agent purposes) need a verifiable Japan address from day one.
MailMate's virtual mailbox service means that your Japanese business mail is scanned, translated into English, and made accessible online from anywhere in the world.
Official notices from the National Tax Agency, customs clearance documents, correspondence from Amazon Japan — it all lands in one place, in a language you can act on immediately. You do not need to be in Japan to stay on top of it.
For sellers managing Japan FBA operations from overseas, the combination of a Japan business address and a fluently bilingual mail service removes one of the most persistent friction points: staying legally present and administratively responsive in a country where you are not physically based.
MailMate also offers a Japanese phone number service and bilingual receptionist support, which is useful for sellers who need a local contact number for their Amazon seller account or supplier communications.
There are no physical offices to manage, no local hire required, and no mail piling up unread. Everything runs completely online.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Japanese company to sell on Amazon Japan with FBA?
No. You do not need a Japanese company to open an Amazon Japan seller account. You can use your existing foreign business entity and bank account. However, you do need an importer of record in Japan to get your inventory through customs and into Amazon's fulfillment centers. Many sellers work with a 3PL that acts as IOR without setting up a separate Japanese entity.
What is the Professional selling plan cost on Amazon Japan?
The Professional selling plan costs 4,900 yen per month excluding tax. There are no per-unit selling fees under this plan. The Individual plan charges 100 yen per unit sold (excluding tax) with no monthly subscription fee. Most serious sellers choose the Professional plan because it unlocks sponsored product ads, all selling categories, and the ability to add new products to the Amazon Japan catalogue.
What does Amazon Japan FBA cost?
FBA costs on Amazon Japan include a per-unit fulfillment fee (based on product size and weight), monthly storage fees, and potential aged inventory surcharges. You also pay a referral fee on each sale, which varies by category but typically falls between 5% and 15.4%. As of April 2026, Amazon Japan reduced fulfillment fees for certain standard-size product ranges. Use Amazon Japan's fee calculator in Seller Central to model your specific costs.
How do I send inventory to Amazon FBA Japan from overseas?
You cannot ship directly from outside Japan to an Amazon fulfillment center. You need an importer of record to clear your goods through Japanese customs first. Most international sellers use a 3PL provider in Japan that imports the goods, handles labeling and prep, and then delivers the inventory as a domestic inbound shipment to Amazon's fulfillment centers.
Do I need to register for Japan's consumption tax (JCT)?
JCT registration depends on your sales volume and business structure. Historically, sellers were required to register once annual Japan taxable sales exceeded 10 million yen. Since Japan's qualified invoice system began in October 2023, voluntary registration is worth considering for sellers who want to reclaim the import JCT paid at the border and issue proper invoices to business customers. A local Japanese tax agent is legally required to manage JCT registration and filings on behalf of non-resident sellers.
Can I use sponsored product ads on Amazon Japan?
Yes, but only with a Professional selling plan. Sponsored product ads on Amazon Japan work on a cost-per-click basis and appear in search results and on product pages. They are available in Japanese and are essential for building sales velocity on new listings. To run brand-level ads and increase brand awareness further, you also need to enroll in Amazon Brand Registry.
What categories are restricted on Amazon Japan?
Certain products require pre-approval to sell on Amazon Japan. These include food, supplements, cosmetics, medical devices, and some electronics categories. Certain products are subject to Japanese safety regulations and must carry specific certifications or labeling before they can be listed. Always check the category restrictions in Seller Central before committing to inventory, as restricted products cannot be listed until the approval process is complete.
Does Amazon Japan handle customer service in Japanese for FBA sellers?
Yes. One of the core benefits of FBA is that Amazon handles all customer service and returns in Japanese on your behalf. This includes answering customer inquiries, managing return requests, and processing refunds. For non-Japanese-speaking sellers, this is one of the most valuable practical advantages of FBA over self-fulfillment.
In closing
Selling on Amazon Japan is one of the most accessible ways to grow a product business into a market that most Western sellers have barely touched. The combination of a massive, loyal customer base, relatively low competition from international brands, and a world-class fulfillment infrastructure makes Amazon FBA a genuinely compelling route in.
A few things to keep in mind as you get ready to start selling:
Get your import structure right before you ship. The importer of record requirement is the detail that catches most sellers off guard. Sort your 3PL or IOR arrangement before your first inbound shipment, not after.
Set your fees up correctly from day one. Understand what the 4,900 a month excluding tax selling plan covers, model your referral fees by category, and build your FBA fulfillment costs into your pricing before you go live. Profitability on Amazon Japan depends on getting this math right early.
Invest in your listings. Japanese customers rely on product detail to make purchasing decisions. Quality images, accurate Japanese copy, and well-structured product information are not optional extras — they are the baseline for converting traffic into sales.
Manage your inventory actively. Send enough to maintain velocity, not so much that you accumulate aged inventory surcharges. Review your stock regularly in Seller Central and use promotions to move slow items before the long-term storage fees kick in.
Think about your Japan presence beyond Amazon. As your store grows, you will receive official correspondence, tax notices, and business documents sent to your Japan address. Having a reliable way to receive and act on that mail — from anywhere in the world, in English — saves hours and prevents the kind of missed deadlines that create real problems down the line. MailMate handles exactly that: a verified Japan business address, mail scanning and translation, and a Japanese phone number, all managed completely online.
The Japanese market rewards sellers who treat it seriously. Start with the right structure, expand your product range as you learn what Japanese customers respond to, and use the tools available — from Seller Central's reporting to sponsored product ads to brand registry — to grow methodically. The opportunity is real. The rest is execution.
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