Japan to USA Freight Forwarding

Japan is one of America's largest sources of imports, and most of what crosses the Pacific from Yokohama, Nagoya and Kobe is high-value: cars and auto parts, machine tools and industrial robots, electronic components, precision instruments, whisky and sake. Alongside the factory trade runs an enthusiast one: JDM cars and kei trucks that have crossed the US 25-year line, and the engines and parts that keep them running. The ocean leg is short and dependable — about 11–20 days from Yokohama to Los Angeles/Long Beach — and the tariff picture is simpler than it looks. Since 24 July 2026 most Japanese goods carry a Section 301 tariff that brings the total duty to 12.5% unless the base rate is already higher, while goods under Section 232 sit outside that layer and pay their own rates instead: cars and covered auto parts at 15% all-in, steel, aluminum and copper at 50%, and a published list of steel and aluminum derivatives.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Offices and representative on this lane:Glendale, USA

Services Available on This Route

AGF Advantage on This Lane

We work through WCA partner agents in Japan; AGF has no office there. Our partners collect from dealers, auction yards and factories, handle Japanese export clearance through NACCS — including the deregistration papers every used car needs — and load containers or deliver to the RoRo terminals at Yokohama/Kawasaki, Nagoya and Kobe. Our own work is concentrated at the end where most Japanese cargo lands: AGF is headquartered in Glendale, close to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. We file the ISF at least 24 hours before loading in Japan, our licensed customs brokers file the entry — including the DOT HS-7 and EPA 3520-1 declarations an imported car needs — and partner facilities near the ports devan containers of cars and machinery before trucking or rail delivery to any state. AGF is an FMC-licensed NVOCC (OTI #031665NF) and a WCA member.

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