A handover checklist for your first shipment
Japan ACP | Aplash G.K.

Working notes for your team. This is not a Customs application form.

Track three workstreams separately

Use a short handover sheet for importer and appointment records, product and classification questions, and physical shipment planning. Give each open item an owner. An appointment pack being ready does not mean the product review is complete, and a settled product description does not identify who is responsible for filing the declaration.
Confirm the agreed ACP scope and the declaration arrangement. Japan Customs explains that an ACP without a customs brokerage licence cannot provide customs brokerage as a business; a licensed broker is needed for that work. Introduce the relevant contacts and agree which questions go to which team before the cartons leave the supplier.

Your notes:


Compare the invoice with what is being packed

Handover item | What to record
Importer and appointment | Legal entity, current records and responsible contact
Products | Reviewed models and any unresolved specification questions
Declaration | Broker contact, intended office and requested documents
Logistics | Dispatch plan, receiving operator and changes to the route

Your notes:


An open requirement needs a decision before it becomes an arrival problem

Ask the broker and relevant specialist what remains to be resolved for the actual goods. Japan Customs states that where other laws require permits or approvals, the corresponding evidence must be supplied before clearance. An ACP appointment does not supply that evidence or settle whether a particular product needs it.
Keep unanswered questions in a visible list. Record the question, the person responsible for answering it and what decision depends on the answer. If a required fact is not available, raise that with the commercial and logistics decision-makers before they commit to dispatch. A calendar date should not quietly turn an unknown into an assumed approval.

Your notes:


Issue one pack and a clear change note

Send a dated index with links or filenames for the current invoice, packing list, product brief, trade flow and relevant appointment or classification records. Identify the shipment contact and the person authorised to make commercial decisions. Ask each team to confirm its own outstanding items rather than seeking a vague all-clear from everybody.
After handover, circulate changes through the same contacts. A revised model, quantity, party or route should come with an explanation of what it replaces. Use ACP review (/hs-code-review) early enough to identify preparation tasks; agree timing for the actual appointment work separately from the shipment's transport schedule.

Your notes:


Handover means shared facts and named owners
Connect the appointment, product and logistics workstreams in one current pack. Make unresolved decisions visible before dispatch, and tell the relevant contacts when the goods or plan change.

Sources
Japan Customs: ACP and licensed customs brokerage roles: https://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/sonota/9601_e.htm
Japan Customs: import clearance and other-law evidence: https://www.customs.go.jp/english/c-answer_e/imtsukan/1101_e.htm