Since the entry into force of the RCEP agreement, bilateral trade between China and Japan has ushered in new growth opportunities. Shipping from China to Japan, as a core logistics channel, has seen a steady increase in cargo volume. However, at the same time, Japanese Customs has strengthened the intensity of rules of origin inspections and introduced a number of new regulations, bringing new challenges to the shipping layout of freight forwarders and export enterprises. How to comply with and respond to these inspections and seize the RCEP dividend has become a core issue that global freight forwarders urgently need to solve.

What are the Core Contents of the New Rules of Origin Inspection Regulations in Japan Under the RCEP Framework?

Japan's rules of origin inspection refers to the verification work carried out by Japanese Customs to confirm whether goods comply with RCEP rules of origin and are eligible for tariff reductions or exemptions. The core of the new regulations focuses on adjustments in three dimensions: inspection procedures, burden of proof, and penalties for violations.

According to the latest Q2 2026 data from UN Comtrade, after the entry into force of RCEP, about 68% of categories of goods exported from China to Japan can enjoy tariff reductions or exemptions, among which the tariff reduction range for core categories such as machinery, electronics, and textiles reaches 5%-15%. However, to prevent tariff evasion, Japanese Customs has implemented new rules of origin inspection regulations since January 2026, further tightening inspection standards and refining inspection procedures.

Freight forwarders need to note that the new regulations do not simply increase the strictness of inspections, but focus on the full-process control of "pre-inspection standardization, in-process verification, and post-inspection traceability". Compared with previous inspections, they have added core requirements such as electronic declaration verification and increased frequency of on-site inspections, which directly affect the customs clearance efficiency and cost control of shipping from China to Japan.

Why Has Japan Strengthened Rules of Origin Inspections? What Impacts Will They Have on Shipping from China to Japan?

The core reason for Japan's strengthened rules of origin inspections is to standardize the application of RCEP tariff reductions and exemptions, prevent false declarations, and ensure fair competition in its domestic industries. Their impacts run through all links of booking, customs declaration, and customs clearance for shipping from China to Japan.

What are the Core Incentives for Japan to Strengthen Rules of Origin Inspections?

From a trade perspective, according to the latest data released by the General Administration of Customs of China in April 2026, the total volume of bilateral trade in goods between China and Japan in 2025 reached 2.305281 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. Japan has become China's third-largest trading partner and the second-largest trading partner under the RCEP framework, accounting for 16.64% of China's total RCEP trade volume. With the growth of trade volume, some enterprises have engaged in false origin declarations and misappropriated RCEP tariff reduction and exemption qualifications, leading to tax losses for Japanese Customs, which is also the direct incentive for its strengthened inspections.

What are the Specific Impacts of the New Inspection Regulations on Shipping from China to Japan?

For shipping from China to Japan, the impacts of the new inspection regulations are mainly reflected in three aspects: first, the extension of the customs clearance cycle. In the past, customs clearance for direct shipping routes from China to Japan only took 2-3 days. After the implementation of the new regulations, the inspection ratio has increased to 35%, and the customs clearance cycle for some goods has been extended to 5-7 days; second, an increase in freight forwarders' operational costs, as they need to invest manpower to sort out rules of origin certification materials and cooperate with customs inspections; third, an increase in violation risks. False declarations will result in penalties such as goods detention and fines, which directly affect the reputation of freight forwarders and their customer cooperation.

The recommended approach is that freight forwarders thoroughly understand the requirements of the new regulations in advance, take the initiative to connect with export enterprises, sort out goods origin information, standardize declaration procedures, and avoid goods detention due to inspection issues, so as to ensure the smoothness of the shipping channel from China to Japan.

What are the Core Inspection Focuses of Rules of Origin in Shipping from China to Japan?

Japanese Customs' rules of origin inspection for goods shipped from China to Japan mainly focuses on three core points: "origin eligibility, material authenticity, and process compliance". Each point has clear inspection standards that freight forwarders need to focus on.

Inspection Focus 1: Is the Origin Eligibility in Line with RCEP Rules?

This is the core of the inspection. Japanese Customs focuses on verifying whether the goods meet the "Regional Value Content (RVC) Standard", "Origin Cumulation Rule", and "Direct Transport Rule"—all of which are indispensable. According to the RCEP agreement and Japanese Customs' new regulations, different categories of goods have different RVC requirements: mechanical goods need to reach more than 40%, and textile goods need to reach more than 50%.

Freight forwarders need to note that if the goods contain imported components, they must provide complete component details and origin certificates to ensure that the imported components comply with the cumulation rule. This avoids the goods being judged as non-RCEP origin goods due to insufficient component proportion and losing the qualification for tariff reduction and exemption.

Inspection Focus 2: Are the Declaration Materials True and Complete?

Japanese Customs requires that when declaring goods shipped from China to Japan, a complete set of materials—including the RCEP Certificate of Origin, commercial invoice, packing list, and goods component specification—must be submitted, and the information in the materials must be consistent without alterations or false information. According to the latest data released by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange on April 25, 2026, the proportion of goods shipped from China to Japan that are returned for inspection due to inconsistent materials reaches 18%, with the main problems concentrated in inconsistencies between the information on the Certificate of Origin and the bill of lading, as well as the lack of component specifications.

A common misunderstanding is that some freight forwarders simplify the material submission process or tamper with material information to save time, thinking that "the probability of inspection is low". Little do they know that Japanese Customs adopts a "random inspection + key spot check" model. Once a violation is found, it will trace the declaration records of the past 6 months and impose heavy fines.

Inspection Focus 3: Is the Shipping Process in Line with Compliance Requirements?

It focuses on verifying whether the goods comply with the "Direct Transport Rule", meaning that after the goods are shipped from China, they must be directly transported to Japan and shall not stop, be processed, or reloaded in non-RCEP member states on the way—unless they stop due to force majeure. In addition, freight forwarders must retain the full-track records of goods transportation, including booking documents, bills of lading, and transit records (if any), for customs inspection.

6 Directly Implementable Steps for Freight Forwarders to Respond to Japan's Rules of Origin Inspections

Faced with Japan's new rules of origin inspection regulations, freight forwarders need to formulate a systematic response plan in combination with the operation process of shipping from China to Japan, starting from customer connection, material preparation, process control, etc. The following 6 steps can be directly implemented.

Step 1: Pre-connect with customers to clarify goods origin information. After receiving the customer's entrustment, promptly verify the production place, component composition, and processing process of the goods, confirm whether they comply with RCEP rules of origin, and avoid accepting goods that cannot provide valid certificates of origin, thereby reducing inspection risks from the source.

Step 2: Standardize the handling of Certificates of Origin to ensure information accuracy. Assist customers in handling the RCEP Certificate of Origin, focus on checking the goods name, HS code, goods value, production enterprise, and other information on the certificate, ensure that it is completely consistent with the bill of lading and commercial invoice, and avoid problems such as code misalignment and goods value errors—Japanese Customs has extremely low tolerance for information discrepancies, and such problems are very likely to trigger key inspections.

Step 3: Sort out a complete set of declaration materials to ensure completeness and no omissions. In addition to the Certificate of Origin, sort out materials such as commercial invoices, packing lists, goods component specifications, and processing process descriptions, mark the corresponding relationships between the materials to facilitate quick retrieval during customs inspection and shorten the customs clearance time.

Step 4: Optimize booking and transportation processes to meet direct transport requirements. Select direct shipping routes from China to Japan, such as the direct routes from Shanghai to Tokyo and Shenzhen to Nagoya, to avoid unnecessary transshipment; if transshipment is required due to special circumstances, prepare transshipment certificates in advance, explain the reasons for transshipment, and confirm that the goods were not processed or reloaded during transshipment.

Step 5: Establish a material retention and traceability system. Retain all declaration materials, transportation documents, inspection records, etc., for at least 3 years, establish electronic files to facilitate the traceability and inspection of Japanese Customs; at the same time, track the progress of goods customs clearance in real time, respond to Customs' inspection requirements promptly, and cooperate in providing supplementary materials.

Step 6: Conduct employee training to improve compliance operation capabilities. Regularly organize employees to learn Japan's new rules of origin inspection regulations, RCEP rules of origin, and compliance requirements for shipping from China to Japan, enhance employees' ability to control material review and declaration processes, and reduce operational errors.

Common Misunderstandings and Avoidance Methods in Responding to Japan's Rules of Origin Inspections

Many freight forwarders fall into various misunderstandings due to inadequate understanding of the new regulations and non-standard operations when responding to Japan's rules of origin inspections, leading to problems such as goods detention and fines. The following 3 common misunderstandings need to be focused on avoiding, with targeted avoidance methods provided.

Misunderstanding 1: Thinking that "a Certificate of Origin is sufficient without other materials". Some freight forwarders believe that as long as the RCEP Certificate of Origin is submitted, the inspection can be passed smoothly, ignoring the importance of auxiliary materials such as commercial invoices and component specifications. Avoidance method: Prepare a complete set of declaration materials as required, ensure that the information in the materials is consistent, and that the auxiliary materials can confirm origin eligibility, so as to avoid situations where "the certificate is inconsistent with the actual goods".

Misunderstanding 2: Falsely declaring the origin in an attempt to obtain tariff reductions and exemptions. Some freight forwarders, entrusted by customers, tamper with goods origin information and falsely report the Regional Value Content, thinking that "the probability of inspection is low". Avoidance method: Adhere to the bottom line of compliance, take the initiative to verify goods origin information, refuse false declarations, and at the same time inform customers of the consequences of violations, guide customers to make compliant declarations, and avoid affecting their own reputation and cooperation due to violations.

Misunderstanding 3: Ignoring compliance control of the transshipment link. Some freight forwarders choose to transship in non-RCEP member states to reduce costs when arranging shipping from China to Japan, and fail to prepare relevant certification materials, leading to the goods being judged as "non-direct transport" and losing the qualification for tariff reduction and exemption. Avoidance method: Prioritize direct routes; if transshipment is really necessary, prepare transshipment certificates in advance, explain the reasons for transshipment, and ensure that the goods were not processed or reloaded during transshipment.

Under the RCEP Dividend, How Can Freight Forwarders Break Through by Responding to Inspections in a Compliant Manner?

Japan's new rules of origin inspection regulations are not only a challenge but also an opportunity for freight forwarders to achieve differentiated competition. Against the backdrop of the continuous release of RCEP dividends, freight forwarders can improve customer stickiness and seize the market share of shipping from China to Japan by responding to inspections in a compliant manner and optimizing service processes.

Specific Practices for Freight Forwarders to Build a "Compliance + Efficiency" Service System

The recommended approach is that freight forwarders can build a differentiated service system of "compliance + efficiency": on the one hand, establish a professional compliance team specifically responsible for studying Japan's new rules of origin inspection regulations and RCEP rules, and provide customers with one-stop services such as origin consulting, material review, and compliant declaration; on the other hand, optimize the operation process of shipping from China to Japan, connect with local compliant customs clearance agents in Japan, and establish a closed-loop service of "domestic declaration - maritime transportation - Japanese customs clearance" to improve customs clearance efficiency and shorten the inspection cycle.

What is the Core Value of Compliant Operations for Freight Forwarders?

According to the latest data from the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) on April 28, 2026, the current shipping rate index from China to Japan is 966.99 points, and the market remains stable with a slight increase. The customs clearance efficiency of freight forwarders with compliant operations is more than 40% higher than that of those with non-compliant operations, and the customer repurchase rate is increased by 30%. This indicates that compliance has become the core competitiveness of freight forwarders in the Japanese market.

The RCEP dividend has brought broad development space for the shipping market from China to Japan, and the implementation of Japan's new rules of origin inspection regulations has further standardized the market order and put forward higher requirements for the compliant operation capabilities of freight forwarders. Freight forwarders need to face up to the inspection challenges, thoroughly understand the requirements of the new regulations, standardize operation processes, improve service systems, help export enterprises smoothly enjoy the RCEP tariff reduction and exemption dividends through compliant responses to inspections, and at the same time achieve their own sustainable development. In the future, with the continuous deepening of Sino-Japanese trade, shipping from China to Japan will continue to maintain a growth trend. Compliance and professionalism will become the mainstream development direction of the freight forwarding industry. Only by taking the initiative to adapt to the new regulations and improve service quality can freight forwarders seize opportunities in the fierce market competition.