- Systematized Import Customs Clearance and Bonded Operations Enable Delivery 
from South Korea in Minimum 4 Days and from China in Minimum 5 Days -

Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Yamato Transport") will begin offering 
a small-parcel ocean freight forwarding service to Japan for cross-border EC 
businesses on January 11, 2024. The delivery of products from South Korea to 
Japanese buyers in as quickly as four days and from China in as quickly as five 
days will be made possible by utilizing Yamato Transport's proprietary import 
customs clearance and bonded system (OBOS) (*1) for small-parcel ocean freight.

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202401054983-O4-UgW2Cd0h

Images: 
https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106587/202401054983/_prw_PI2fl_mB3NdYw2.jpg


Background and Purpose of Service
The market size of cross-border EC is estimated to be worth US$785 billion in 
2021 and is projected to grow to US$7,938 billion by 2030 (*2). In cross-border 
EC for Japan, imports of apparel, cosmetics, and other products from South 
Korea and China are increasing every year due to the expansion of the 
individual buyer segment resulting from the spread of SNS and other factors. 
The primary mode of transport is air, where simple import declaration 
procedures using manifests and the like are applied. However, the recent 
increase in demand has created the need for a system that enables rapid, 
large-volume customs clearance and bonding procedures while reducing 
transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions through ocean transportation.

Yamato Transport was certified and approved by Tokyo Customs as an Authorized 
Economic Operator (AEO) customs broker in 2013. In a joint undertaking with 
LIBERTYCOM (*3), a company with extensive experience in developing 
import/export customs clearance and bonded systems for small-parcel cargo, 
Yamato Transport has developed OBOS, a system that facilitates these procedures 
for small-parcel ocean cargo. OBOS makes possible the rapid completion of 
customs clearance and bonding procedures for large volumes of cargo, which in 
turn allows cross-border EC operators to deliver merchandise to buyers quickly 
and at low cost via ocean transport. When shipping by ferry, products can be 
delivered to customers in Japan in as quickly as four days from South Korea and 
as quickly as five days from China, leading to expanded sales opportunities. A 
patent is pending for the technology utilized in this system (Patent 
Application 2023-176984).

Yamato Transport will continue to provide international logistics services that 
aid cross-border EC operators in expanding their business while enhancing 
convenience for buyers.

Notes:
(*1) Ocean B2C Operating System
(*2) Source: "FY2022 E-Commerce Market Survey," Ministry of Economy, Trade and 
Industry
(*3) https://www.libertycom.jp/

Service Usage Flow (from China/South Korea): 
https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106587/202401054983/_prw_PI3fl_mxIklL5v.jpg

 
Special Features of OBOS
- Automatic sorting of container-by-container shipment information into data 
that can be used for small-parcel customs clearance. Furthermore, by linking 
data to the tracking number attached to the parcels, data and parcels can be 
cross-checked, enabling speedy customs clearance and bonded cargo operations.

- Automatic generation of data necessary for customs declarations through the 
Nippon Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System (NACCS). The system employs 
functions such as automatic duty and tax amount calculation for taxable 
shipments for which import customs declarations are complicated, thereby 
streamlining import customs clearance operations.

- The system also allows for the completion of customs clearance, bonded 
operations, and TA-Q-BIN shipping label issuance, making operations up to 
shipping more efficient.

Service launch date: January 11, 2024

Yamato Holdings website: https://www.yamato-hd.co.jp/english/


Source: Yamato Transport Co., Ltd.