Home › Guides › Import Duty from Japan to the USA: Tariffs, HS Codes and Landed Cost
Import Duty from Japan to the USA
Every company on this site is matched to its official corporate registration. How we verify.
On this page
The single most useful thing you can do is get your HS code right. Everything else follows from it.
| Layer | What it is |
|---|---|
| HS code | The classification that determines everything |
| Base duty (HTSUS) | The normal rate for that code |
| Additional tariff measures | Current country-wide measures on Japan |
| Product-specific measures | Steel, aluminium, vehicles and similar |
| Fees | Merchandise and harbor processing fees |
How do I calculate import duty from Japan?
Work through it in order, because each step depends on the one before.
1. Classify the product. Find the Harmonized System code that describes what you are importing. The first six digits are international, and the US adds further digits in its own schedule, the HTSUS. This code decides your duty rate, so an error here is an error in everything downstream.
2. Look up the base rate. Find that code in the US tariff schedule and read the general rate of duty. For a great many industrial goods, machined parts, components, and machinery, the base rate is low or zero.
3. Add current additional measures. This is where the real money is at the moment, and where the situation has been changing. See the section below.
4. Add product-specific measures. Certain categories, notably steel and aluminium articles and motor vehicles and their parts, have carried their own separate tariff measures at different rates from the general ones.
5. Add the fees. US imports also carry a merchandise processing fee, and ocean shipments a harbor maintenance fee. They are small relative to duty but belong in a landed-cost calculation.
6. Apply it to the right value. Duty is normally assessed on the customs value of the goods, which is usually the transaction value. What that includes depends on your Incoterms, which our guide on Incoterms with Japanese suppliers explains.
What is the current tariff on Japanese imports?
This has moved repeatedly, so treat any figure, including this one, as a dated snapshot to verify rather than a fixed fact.
As of 25 July 2026, the position is that the temporary 10 percent measure that had applied under Section 122 of the Trade Act expired on 24 July 2026, and on the same day the United States imposed a new 12.5 percent tariff under Section 301 covering Japan and dozens of other trading partners. For Japan, reporting indicates a capping arrangement so that the combined rate, including existing measures such as those on vehicles, steel and aluminium, does not exceed 12.5 percent, which is intended to prevent the measures stacking on top of one another.
The wider context is that in 2025 the United States and Japan reached a framework under which a 15 percent baseline applied to most Japanese goods, with vehicles reduced from 27.5 percent to 15 percent, while steel and aluminium remained under separate and higher measures. Those baseline tariffs were imposed under emergency powers that the Supreme Court held in February 2026 did not authorise tariffs, after which collection ended and the measures above followed.
The practical lesson for a buyer is not the number. It is that country-wide measures on Japan have changed at least three times in a year, so you should confirm the rate that applies on the day your goods enter, and build a margin for change into any long-term pricing.
Where do I check the current rate?
Use primary sources rather than a blog, including this one:
- The US International Trade Commission publishes the HTSUS, which is the authoritative schedule of codes and base rates.
- US Customs and Border Protection publishes the operative guidance and any additional measures, and its rulings database shows how specific goods have been classified.
- A licensed customs broker is the practical answer for anything of real value. Classification is a judgment call more often than people expect, and a broker carries the expertise you would otherwise be guessing at.
If you are importing something where classification is genuinely ambiguous, CBP offers a binding ruling process that tells you in advance how a product will be classified.
What else lands in the cost besides duty?
Buyers routinely underestimate the total. Beyond duty and the processing fees, budget for international freight, insurance, customs brokerage, port and terminal charges, inland transport, and any storage if the goods sit. Our guide on importing from Japan covers the documentation and the process end to end.
Currency matters too. If you are paying in yen, the exchange rate at payment affects your landed cost as much as a few points of duty.
Does the supplier affect my duty?
Not the rate itself, which follows the product and its origin. But the supplier affects your paperwork, and paperwork is what customs actually sees. An experienced Japanese exporter will produce a clean commercial invoice, an accurate description, and a correct declared value without being chased, which is the difference between a smooth entry and a delayed one.
That is also a reason to confirm you are dealing with a genuine, established company before you order. You can browse verified Japanese manufacturers whose identity is matched to their official corporate registration, or check a specific company with the verification tool.
Frequently asked questions
How much is import duty from Japan to the USA?
It depends on your HS code plus whatever additional measures apply on the day of entry. Many industrial goods carry a low or zero base rate, so the additional country-wide measures usually decide the cost. As of 25 July 2026 a 12.5 percent Section 301 measure applies to Japan, capped so it does not stack with existing vehicle, steel and aluminium measures, but this has changed repeatedly and must be verified.
How do I find the HS code for my product?
Look it up in the US tariff schedule published by the US International Trade Commission. The first six digits are internationally standard and the US adds further digits. For anything ambiguous or high value, use a customs broker, or request a binding ruling from CBP so the classification is settled in advance.
Do I pay duty on the shipping cost?
Duty is normally assessed on the customs value of the goods, which is usually the transaction value rather than the full door-to-door cost. What is included depends on the terms of sale, so your Incoterms matter. Confirm the treatment with your broker.
Are there extra tariffs on Japanese cars and steel?
Vehicles, vehicle parts, steel and aluminium have been subject to their own separate measures at rates different from the general one. Under the arrangement reported in July 2026 the combined rate for Japan is capped to prevent stacking. Because this area changes often, confirm the current position for your specific product.
Who actually pays the tariff?
The importer of record pays duty to CBP when the goods enter, not the Japanese supplier. That is you, or your customs broker acting for you, which is why landed cost, not the quoted unit price, is the number that matters when you compare suppliers.
Verify the supplier, then the paperwork
Duty is only one part of importing well. Confirm the company behind the quotation is real before you send money: browse verified Japanese manufacturers, read how to verify a Japanese company, or look up any name with the verification tool.
This guide is general information for overseas buyers, not customs, legal or tax advice, and tariff rates change frequently. Rates described here reflect reporting as of 25 July 2026. Confirm the current position with US Customs and Border Protection or a licensed customs broker before you rely on it.
Verify a company now
Use the company verification tool to check any Japanese company by name, in English, romaji or Japanese.