Customs duty from Japan to India: Import Duty Guide

Key Takeaways

• The India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), in force since August 2011, gives preferential customs treatment on qualifying Japanese-originating goods.
• The agreement’s institutional machinery remains active, with a 7th Joint Committee Meeting held in Tokyo in March 2026.
• Japan agreed to consider a CEPA modernization or upgrade at a Modi-Takaichi leaders’ summit, but this is an early-stage political commitment, not a concluded negotiation.
• India’s imports from Japan reached roughly $21.4 billion in India’s 2025-26 fiscal year, around 2.76% of India’s total imports.
• Machinery, copper and copper articles, electrical machinery, and rare-earth-related inorganic chemicals dominate Japan’s exports to India.

Japan-India Trade at a Glance

India’s imports from Japan reached roughly $21.4 billion in India’s 2025-26 fiscal year, around 2.76% of India’s total imports, placing Japan among India’s top ten import sources - dominated by machinery, copper and copper articles, electrical machinery, rare-earth-related inorganic chemicals, iron and steel, and automotive components and vehicles.

Is There a Trade Deal Between Japan and India?

Yes - the India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), in force since August 2011, gives preferential customs treatment on qualifying Japanese-originating goods. The agreement’s institutional machinery remains active, with a 7th Joint Committee Meeting held in Tokyo on 2 March 2026 to review implementation (Press Information Bureau of India). Separately, at a Modi-Takaichi summit, Japan agreed to consider modernizing or upgrading CEPA - a genuine political commitment, but still an early-stage one rather than formal negotiations that have concluded anything new as of this writing (Tribune India).

How Much Will You Pay Importing from Japan to India?

For genuinely Japanese-originating goods meeting CEPA’s rules of origin, expect a preferential Basic Customs Duty rate relative to standard MFN treatment - the exact reduction depends on the specific tariff line under CEPA’s current schedule, which hasn’t yet changed as a result of the modernization discussions. Outside of CEPA-qualifying goods, India’s standard stack applies: Basic Customs Duty, a Social Welfare Surcharge equal to 10% of the BCD amount, and Integrated GST at 5-28% depending on category. India has no general duty-free threshold for commercial imports of any value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CEPA between Japan and India being updated?

Japan has agreed to consider a modernization following a 2026 leaders’ summit, but this remains an early political commitment rather than a concluded negotiation - the original 2011 agreement’s terms remain what’s currently in effect.

How big is Japan-India trade?

India’s imports from Japan reached roughly $21.4 billion in India’s 2025-26 fiscal year, about 2.76% of India’s total imports.

What does Japan mainly export to India?

Machinery, copper and copper articles, electrical machinery, rare-earth-related inorganic chemicals, iron and steel, and automotive components and vehicles are Japan’s largest export categories to India.

Is the CEPA’s Joint Committee still meeting regularly?

Yes - the 7th Joint Committee Meeting was held in Tokyo in March 2026, indicating the agreement’s institutional oversight remains active alongside the separate modernization discussion.