Japan ACPIdentify the proposed importing company through the actual transaction, not just the delivery address or an invoice field. Connect its legal name to the purchase agreement, shipment records and commercial role. List the warehouse, broker and ACP separately so each party's responsibilities can be reviewed without confusing them with importer identity.
Describe the transaction before completing the form
Start with the proposed importer company's full legal name and registered country. Then explain what that company does in this shipment. Does it purchase the goods, send its own stock to Japan or sell them to another company before import? Identify the agreement that supports your explanation and the person who can answer questions about it.
Japan Customs explains that simply being named as consignee on an invoice does not always make a party the importer. The actual import transaction matters. If the documents point to different parties, bring the mismatch into the review rather than assuming an appointment form can fix it.
Give each party a specific role
Prepare a small role table with legal names rather than initials. A delivery location and a business role belong in separate columns. The receiving warehouse might have no part in buying the goods. A forwarder might arrange transport without being the buyer. Explain these distinctions in the pack so that a familiar address is not mistaken for a commercial party.
List the proposed ACP separately. An appointment identifies the Japan-resident contact for the agreed customs procedures; it does not turn that contact into the purchasing company. If a licensed customs broker will file the declaration, identify that role too. Ask the parties to confirm their responsibilities before the documents are finalised.
| Party | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Proposed importer | What is its role in the import transaction? |
| Supplier or seller | Who sells or dispatches these goods? |
| Receiving location | Who operates it and what will it receive? |
| Customs broker | Who is handling the import declaration? |
| Proposed ACP | What appointment and communication scope is agreed? |
Keep names consistent without rewriting history
Compare the company register, agreement, invoice and seller account. Note any trading name, abbreviated name or previous name. A reviewer needs to understand why the records differ. Do not edit an issued document yourself to make the names match; ask its issuer to clarify or correct it where appropriate.
The contact filling in the enquiry may work for a group company, consultant or logistics provider. Record that relationship and identify who can authorise the importing company's appointment. A shared email domain can help with communication, but it does not by itself document the authority to act for a different legal entity.
Put unresolved roles into the first enquiry
State whether the company has an address or business presence in Japan, and describe that presence accurately. Add the sales channel and expected customs office if known. If a broker has raised an importer question, include the question in its original context, with unnecessary personal information removed.
Use ACP suitability review to work through the arrangement before requesting appointment documents. A useful outcome may be a request for a particular agreement or a question for the broker or Customs. Treat that as a task to resolve, rather than replacing an uncertain importer name with the agent's name.
Questions about this topic
Can my Japan warehouse be listed as the importer?+
A warehouse can be the delivery location without being the importer. Its address or an invoice consignee entry alone does not settle that role. Explain the warehouse's actual involvement in the transaction and provide the commercial records. Ask the broker or Customs to resolve an uncertain importer arrangement before completing the appointment.
Does appointing an ACP make the agent the importer?+
Appointing an ACP does not by itself make the agent the importer or the buyer of the goods. The appointment concerns the agreed customs procedures and Japan-resident contact. Identify the importing company's actual commercial role separately, with supporting records, and distinguish any licensed broker handling the declaration from the ACP appointment.
Sources and scope
This guide is written to help you prepare information for a review. Its examples and working notes are illustrative. The linked Customs sources explain the formal procedures.
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