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ImportCostEstimate duty

Import duty from Japan to the USA

Verified 2 official sources

Short answer

Japanese consumer goods often carry a zero or low base rate, so the interesting question is rarely the base duty. It is whether a product-scoped action reaches your article, and what the fees come to.

Working it out

  1. Classify the product

    Cameras, audio equipment and many electronics sit in headings with zero general rates. Confirm rather than assume, because accessories and parts often classify separately from the apparatus.

  2. Check whether the U.S.–Japan agreement covers it

    USJTA covers listed goods. If yours is not listed, the general rate applies.

  3. Check product-scoped actions

    The semiconductor action can reach downstream articles containing covered components, and its scope must be read from the official article list rather than inferred.

  4. Add the fees

    Processing fee by entry type; Harbor Maintenance Fee only for vessel cargo.

What you can compute right now

Federal processing fees do not depend on your classification. On an informal entry — most personal shipments — the fee is a fixed $2.69, $8.06 or $12.09. On a formal entry it is 0.3464% of the goods value, minimum $33.58, maximum $651.50. The Harbor Maintenance Fee is 0.125% but applies only to ocean vessel cargo, so it is zero for air and mail.

Open the calculator

What people get wrong

  • Treating a zero base rate as a zero bill. Fees and any additional program still apply.
  • Assuming a camera accessory follows the camera. Parts and accessories frequently classify in their own subheadings.
  • Overlooking that goods routed through Japan are not necessarily of Japanese origin — origin follows where the goods were produced.

Common questions

Sources

  1. USITCHarmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
    retrieved
    2026-08-09

    Primary source of truth for Column 1 general rates, special rates, and Chapter 99 subheadings.

  2. USTRNotice of Actions in Section 301 Investigations of Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies
    FR
    91 FR 47318
    effective
    2026-07-24
    retrieved
    2026-08-09

    Two-tier 10% / 12.5% additional duties on products of roughly 60 economies, effective 2026-07-24. Implemented in HTS Chapter 99 subchapter III at heading 9903.02, which carries 91 lines covering per-economy tiers, in-transit exceptions and carve-outs. No statutory expiration.

Related

Which programs apply to Japan

Reference

Electronics

Classification guide

Skincare

Classification guide

Toys & Games

Classification guide