Complete Japan Market Entry Guide for Korean Brands: What to Do First

Start with who you will sell to, what you will sell and at what price

Do not judge the Japanese market only by market size. Check the target customer's age and buying occasion, competing price bands, what buyers praise in reviews, and where products are compared and purchased. A brand that sells mainly through its own store in Korea may face a different competitive set in Japan if shoppers compare the category on Qoo10 or Rakuten.

You do not need to launch every SKU at once. Narrow the first test to a few lead products and define a working hypothesis for the product, customer and price range. That makes the next questions about regulation, landed cost and sales channels much more concrete. JETRO provides foreign companies with information and consultation on Japanese markets, industries, regulations and legal systems.

Check product regulations, labeling and trademarks before selling

Sales requirements vary by category. Apparel, food and cosmetics have different labeling or regulatory requirements, so list each SKU's name, ingredients or materials, country of origin and planned sales method, then identify the rules and filings that apply before launch.

Imports require an import declaration to Japan Customs and permission to import. In principle the importer files the declaration, although a customs broker may act as an agent. Since October 12, 2025, B2C cargo sold through ecommerce platforms has additional declaration items including the delivery location and ecommerce platform information. The importer and customs setup can therefore differ between direct shipment from Korea and holding inventory in Japan.

Check the brand name as well. J-PlatPat, operated by the Japan Patent Office, can be used to search Japanese trademarks. A registered Japanese trademark right applies nationwide for the designated goods and services. A Korean trademark does not automatically create the same right in Japan, so search the Japanese filing status before a large-scale launch.

Set the Japanese price from both landed cost and competitive pricing

A Japanese retail price has to absorb more than product cost. International freight, duties and import taxes, domestic fulfillment, warehousing, payment or marketplace fees, returns and promotion can all affect the economics. If wholesale is part of the plan, check how the wholesale price relates to the Japanese recommended retail price before negotiating with retailers.

A price built only from cost can still sit far outside the Japanese competitive range. Compare the required gross margin with competing prices and adjust the product mix, logistics method or channel where necessary. At the entry stage, calculate enough to compare candidate SKUs, then refine the final price after the sales route is clearer.

Choose ecommerce, wholesale and pop-ups by the role each one should play

A DTC store gives the brand control over presentation and product information, while marketplaces provide access to existing shoppers. Wholesale can create retailer relationships and sell-through history. Pop-ups are useful for fitting, product experience, content creation and direct customer feedback. Choose based on what the first launch needs to prove.

A standalone DTC store will not attract meaningful traffic automatically when brand awareness is close to zero. A pop-up also loses value if customers have nowhere to buy after it ends. Separate the places that create awareness, let customers try the product and complete a purchase, then combine only the channels needed for the first test.

For a DTC-first route, continue to the Japan ecommerce launch guide. For retailer sales, use the guide to wholesale terms in Japan. For pop-ups, the Japan pop-up cost guide and Tokyo venue guide cover the channel-specific execution in more detail.

Localize the customer experience while setting up logistics and support

Localization includes more than translating copy. Adapt product names, sizing, use or styling examples, delivery estimates, return terms and payment methods so Japanese customers can make a purchase decision. For online B2C sales, the Consumer Affairs Agency provides guidance on representations because the information shown on the web is central to the transaction.

Define post-purchase operations before launch as well: direct shipping from Korea versus a Japanese 3PL, the return address, and who answers Japanese customer inquiries within what response time. Building the storefront first and deciding operations later creates avoidable fulfillment and support bottlenecks once orders arrive.

Prepare acquisition before the storefront goes live

If a Japanese search for the brand produces almost no information, sending paid traffic directly to a product page leaves customers with little evidence for comparison. Build Japanese usage examples through seeding, secure influencer posts and populate the official social accounts with Japanese information before launch. For a pop-up, connect pre-event promotion, the visit, on-site content and post-event ecommerce purchase as one journey.

The metrics should change with the entry stage. Early signals include branded search, social saves and profile visits, Japanese traffic to product pages, inquiries and pop-up visits. Once sales start, add conversion rate, return reasons, repeat purchase and gross margin by channel to decide which products and routes to expand.

Create a one-page market entry decision sheet

Turn the launch discussion into a one-page decision sheet. For anything still unresolved, record who owns the answer and the deadline so the sheet can function as an execution plan rather than a meeting note.

• First products and SKUs for Japan
• Target customer and buying occasion
• Competitors and Japanese price band
• Importer, regulation, labeling and trademark status
• Japanese retail price and estimated landed cost
• Role of the first ecommerce, wholesale and pop-up channels
• Owner for inventory, shipping, returns and Japanese support
• Japanese social, UGC and PR touchpoints to build before launch