What slows down a Turkish manufacturer’s Japan operation is rarely the product itself. It is the label, the certificate, the customs file, or the freight plan breaking somewhere along the way. Below are the four areas we keep running into, with real numbers attached.
1. Tariff status and the EPA question
There is no Economic Partnership Agreement in force between Türkiye and Japan yet. Talks have been going since 2014 and the recent rounds have been slow. Until something changes, Turkish exports enter Japan at MFN (most-favoured nation) rates.
In practice that looks like:
- Unprocessed hazelnuts (HS 0802.21): 10 percent
- Dried apricots (HS 0813.10): 9 percent
- Extra-virgin olive oil (HS 1509.10): 25.5 yen per kg
- Cotton apparel (HS 6109): 7.4 to 10.9 percent
- Automotive parts (HS 8708): 0 percent on most lines under WTO
So “let us wait for the EPA” is mostly a strategy for delaying revenue. For automotive and machinery, duty is already zero; there is nothing to wait for.
2. Certification: who asks for what?
This is heavily category-dependent. The three we see most often:
Food: JAS and the Food Labeling Act
If your product carries an “organic” claim, you need JAS Organic certification. An ECOCERT or IMO certificate from Türkiye is not sufficient on its own; it has to pass Japan’s recognition process. The process takes three to five months and costs roughly 4,000 to 9,000 USD.
On the label, the Allergen List (28 items), the Nutrition Facts table, and the Country of Origin marking (原産国名) are all mandatory. Without them, customs does not detain the goods; they simply send the shipment back.
Electrical and electronic: PSE
Anything that plugs into the Japanese 100V grid needs the PSE compliance mark. “Diamond PSE” covers higher-risk items (heaters, motorised devices); “Round PSE” covers lower-risk goods. Testing runs through METLABO or JET.
Cosmetics: the importer carries the liability
For cosmetics the importer must file with the PMDA and hold marketing authorisation status. A Turkish manufacturer cannot import directly; entry has to go through a registered Japanese company.
3. Cold chain and ocean freight options
On the İstanbul-Yokohama corridor there are three working routes:
- Mersin or İzmir to Yokohama (40-foot container, ocean): 35-42 days, USD 2,800-3,600. Reefer adds roughly 1.5x.
- Tekirdağ to Hamburg to Yokohama (transhipment): 28-32 days, higher cost but unaffected by Suez disruption.
- İstanbul to Narita (air): 3-5 days, 5.50-8.00 USD per kg. Only sensible for high-value goods.
With Suez transit becoming unreliable through 2024 and 2025, the transhipment route has become our default for time-sensitive shipments. Do not sign a contract without a force majeure clause and a transit-time penalty mechanism.
4. The customs file: who actually prepares it?
On the Japanese side, a licensed customs broker (通関業者, tsuukan gyousha) is mandatory. Your local importer normally handles this through their own agent. From the Turkish side, the documents that need to travel with the shipment are:
- Commercial Invoice, signed original
- Packing List
- Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB)
- Certificate of Origin, stamped by a TR chamber of commerce
- For food: Health Certificate plus advance Import Notification (NACCS Form 8)
- Pre-shipment: Laboratory Analysis (aflatoxin, pesticides, heavy metals, depending on category)
The single document we see fail most often is the Certificate of Origin. The format issued by Turkish chambers does not always match what Japan Customs expects; the order of date, signature, and stamp matters. Sending a PDF copy to your importer’s broker before the original ships saves a day or two on arrival.
A practical note
Keep your first three shipments small. A clean customs file on a 1×20-foot container or LCL groupage saves a real amount of time once you move to full 40-foot loads. Japan Customs flags any missing document on shipment one and then automatically asks for it on every subsequent shipment, so getting the “first file” right matters more than most exporters expect.
The process looks heavy on paper but becomes manageable piece by piece. If you want to map which of the above four areas is the binding constraint for your category, drop us a line.
