Shipping from Thailand to Japan is an important component of both countries economic well-being. With the large volumes of goods flowing between these two countries, there are multiple options for businesses to move their product between these two countries.
Sino – Thai Business Relationship
In post war times, trade relations between Japan and Thailand have been very important for both countries. Japan is one of Thailand’s biggest exporting partners with almost 20% of Thailand’s exports going to Japan while almost 10% of its exports are accounted for by Japanese goods. Trade barriers such as tariffs have been significantly reduced in recent years between the two countries as the result of the Japan – Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement or JTEPA as well as the ASEAN – Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership or AJCEP.
At its most fundamental level, these agreements are the result of the needs of these two rather different economies with Thailand able to provide large quantities of agricultural goods to densely populated Japan with its limited amount of arable soil. Thailand , in return has a great need for high tech and manufactured goods to support it’s increasingly demanding consumer based economy.
Ocean Freight Channels
Because of their geographical separation by oceans, the predominant mode of transport for goods between these two countries is via ocean freight. While there is some shipping activity between these two countries using air freight for highly perishable goods, the cost differential between air and ocean freight makes ocean freight a very appealing option in most cases.
There are multiple shipping lines servicing the routes between ports in Thailand and Japan, including Cosco, Evergreen, Maersk and MSC, among others. Japan has a well-developed system of ports on the 4 major islands of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Hokkaido. Because of Japan’s historical dependence on the sea as its lifeline, Japan is home to more than 1,000 ports capable of handling modern container ships. In size and quantity of materials moved through the ports, the largest ones are in Tokyo Bay, Osaka, Yokahama and Kobe.
All types of shipping configurations regularly transit between Thailand and ports of call in Japan, including FCL, or full container loads, consolidated or LCL containers in both 20 ft. and 40 ft. sizes.
If you are booking transport between the Port of Bangkok and the larger and more popular ports of call in Japan, you can expect transit times to be between 16 and 20 days.
Air Freight Options
If your shipping needs demand the speed and flexibility of air freight you will be pleased to know that there are multiple direct cargo and passenger flights capable of handling commercial cargo on a daily basis between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport and Tokyo’s Narita airport. Transit time for regular air freight is typically 3 days but arrangements can be made for same day delivery at a higher cost.
If you have goods that need to transit between these two countries, the staff at Eagles Air & Sea Ltd. are standing by to help you understand costs, schedules and documentation requirements.
Frequent Asked Questions
How long does it take to shipping ocean freight from Thailand to Japan?
To ship ocean freight from Bangkok to most of the major ports in Japan you can count on approximately 16 to 17 days to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama. With the current delays associated with the pandemic, it may take a few more days, but your goods will generally arrive within 3 weeks.
What types of restrictions are there for goods shipping into Japan?
There are the usual and obvious restrictions on such items a weapons, ammunition, and illegal drugs, it is important to note that items such as herbal supplements, medicinal drugs and diagnostic medical samples are also on the restricted list for items imported into Japan.
What are the advantages of shipping air freight vs. ocean freight to Japan?
The obvious answer is that it is much faster to air freight goods than to use ocean freight options. Secondarily, if your cargo is small and/or light weight, there is often little actual difference between air freight and ocean freight. For small packages, air freight is generally safer as well.
