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Northeast Asia · sea freight from Shanghai

Shipping from Shanghai to Tokyo

Shanghai to Tokyo

East China Sea

Sea corridor illustration: Shanghai to Tokyo, Japan Simplified map with a curved corridor from Shanghai via East China Sea to Tokyo. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. KOREAYELLOW SEA East China Sea ShanghaiCHINA ORIGIN TokyoJAPAN
  1. ShanghaiChina origin
  2. East China Sea
  3. TokyoJapan
Geographic corridor illustration only, not a vessel track, port-call list or sailing schedule. The loading terminal, carrier, transshipment and dates are confirmed per shipment.

From Shanghai to Tokyo, cargo moves through Yangshan or Waigaoqiao under Shanghai MSA's photo-verified packing rules, crosses an intra-Asia passage with no canal or chokepoint, and is discharged at the port of Tokyo.

In Japan the importer carries the PSE duties and the port captain controls dangerous goods in port. This page sets out 5 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.

What we need to start

  • Yangshan / Waigaoqiao export
  • Photo-verified packing certificate
  • PSE importer
  • NACCS 24-hour rule
  • Port captain
Ask about this route Japan ports from Shanghai

Route profile

The Shanghai → Tokyo route in brief

Origin port

Shanghai (Yangshan / Waigaoqiao)

Yangshan and Waigaoqiao exports under Shanghai MSA's photo-verified packing system, where a mismatch between photos and EDI data keeps a DG box off the ship.

Import country

Japan

Japan wants the cargo data before the ship sails and a notified PSE supplier behind the batteries.

Yangshan deep-water port near Shanghai seen from a hillside, with container stacks and gantry cranes
A container ship under way off the Guatemalan coast

Where this route gets difficult

What to watch between Shanghai and Tokyo: 5 points

In the order the cargo meets them: at the loading port, at sea, at Tokyo and at customs in Japan.

  1. Origin port

    Shanghai MSA spot-checks after the filing too

    Shanghai MSA's Notice No. 4 of 2024 lets the shipper use either an inspector-signed packing certificate or a packing declaration from the stuffing company, but the responsibility stays with the shipper: UN-tested batteries, protected against damage, short circuit and accidental activation. MSA spot-checks during and after the process and can ask for proof.

    What Anxin does: We keep a file per container (UN38.3 summary, SDS, packing photos, terminal protection details) so that proof can be produced the same day if Shanghai MSA asks for it after sailing.

  2. Sea corridor

    Typhoon season sets the short-sea schedule

    The Japan Meteorological Agency counts an average of 25.1 typhoons a year in the western North Pacific, with the most in August and September. On a short route the voyage is quick, but a storm can close the loading or discharge port for days, and the DG filings follow the box to whichever vessel it ends up on.

    What Anxin does: For July–October sailings to Tokyo we confirm the DG cut-off a week ahead and refile promptly if the vessel changes.

  3. Import country

    Japan's 24-hour advance filing, on both bills of lading

    Japan's Advance Filing Rules require the carrier to file master B/L data and the NVOCC to file house B/L data in NACCS no later than 24 hours before the ship leaves the loading port, relaxed to 'before departure' on certain short routes. Customs can issue a do-not-unload notice for high-risk cargo bound for Tokyo, and missing or false filings are penalised.

    What Anxin does: We send the house B/L data, with the UN number and a precise battery description, to whoever files it well before the cut-off in Shanghai.

  4. Import country

    Port captain's directions for dangerous goods

    Under Japan's Port Regulations Act a ship carrying dangerous goods of the categories MLIT lists must seek the port captain's directions outside the port limits before entering a specified port such as Tokyo, anchor or moor where the captain says, and get permission to load, transship or unload them. The ship's side needs accurate DG data well before arrival.

    What Anxin does: We confirm the DG class, UN number and quantities on the carrier's manifest before sailing, so the ship's agent has what it needs for the port captain.

  5. Import country

    A customs agent is not the PSE importer

    METI's FAQ is explicit that a company which only handles customs procedures as an agent is not the importer under the Act. Inspection records must also be kept for three years, so the obligation stays with the business that brings the batteries into Japan through Tokyo.

    What Anxin does: We make sure the invoice and the import declaration name the same Japanese company that holds the PSE notification, not only the broker.

Locator map of Tokyo, JapanTokyo
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (35.68°N, 139.75°E).
Container terminal yard with gantry cranes at the Port of Busan

Documents & compliance

Checklist for Shanghai → Tokyo

Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

In Shanghai, before the box is loaded

  • Per-container evidence file (UN38.3 summary, SDS, photos, short-circuit protection) kept for Shanghai MSA spot checks
  • Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
  • PSE mark and Japanese supplier name on product before packing
  • Safety data sheet and dangerous goods safe-carriage declaration for the MSA cargo report
  • Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)

For the shipping line

  • House B/L data sent in time for the NACCS pre-departure filing
  • Condition statement: new, used, damaged/defective (SP376) or for recycling (SP377)
  • UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type

For the importer in Japan

  • Importer of record matches the PSE notification holder
A shrink-wrapped lithium-ion battery pack for a small electric vehicle
Before you book

Send the file once, complete

Most delays on this route start with a document that exists but does not match: a UN number, a model name or a package count that differs between the Shanghai filings, the carrier booking and the Japan import file. We check the three against each other before the booking is confirmed.

Carriers we book with

Our booking panel; availability on this lane and acceptance of the declared UN numbers are confirmed for each booking. It does not mean that a listed carrier runs a direct service on this route. Carrier choice depends on the trade lane, cargo classification and each carrier's dangerous-goods acceptance at booking. The final carrier is confirmed on the booking.

Risk & mitigation

What could go wrong from Shanghai to Tokyo, and who acts

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Post-event spot check finds missing proofShanghai MSAEvidence file kept per containerShipper with Anxin
Typhoon closes a port; box moves to another vesselWestern North Pacific, Jul–OctDG cut-off confirmed; prompt refilingAnxin with the declarant
Do-not-unload notice after missing or inaccurate advance dataJapanese port of dischargeHouse B/L data sent early and checkedNVOCC / carrier, with data from Anxin

Questions

Shanghai → Tokyo: questions we are asked

In a specified port the Port Regulations Act requires the port captain's permission to load or unload dangerous goods of the listed categories, and directions before entering.

Typhoons occur all year in the western North Pacific, but most in August and September: the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 averages are 5.7 and 5.0 typhoons in those months.

Shanghai MSA's Notice No. 4 of 2024 accepts either an inspector-signed packing certificate or a packing declaration issued by the stuffing company. Either way, the shipper remains responsible and must provide proof if MSA spot-checks.

References

Regulations and port sources cited

  1. Advance Filing Rules on Maritime Container Cargo Information (pre-departure filing) (Japan Customs)
  2. The Advance Filing Rules on Maritime Container Cargo Information (Guidance) (Japan Customs)
  3. FAQ on lithium-ion storage batteries under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
  4. Procedures of the notifying suppliers based on the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
  5. Port Regulations Act (Act No. 174 of 1948), English translation (Ministry of Justice, Japanese Law Translation)
  6. Typhoon statistics: average number of typhoons (1991–2020) (Japan Meteorological Agency)
  7. Shanghai MSA Notice No. 4 of 2024 on declaring lithium battery dangerous-goods containers (Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration)
  8. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Shanghai
  5. 5ImportClearance at Tokyo
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Shanghai → Tokyo

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check carrier acceptance for Shanghai → Tokyo before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Shanghai · Japan ports

A forklift loading goods into an open shipping container

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