Japan Post is Japan’s national postal carrier. They deliver registered EMS and packages domestically and internationally to over a hundred countries, from the Republic of Korea to South Africa.
While Japan Post package tracking is very reliable, your delivery times may be impacted due to worldwide events.
About Japan Post
Japan Post, known as Nippon Yubin Kabushiki Gaisha, is Japan’s national logistics courier.
They are part of the Japan Post Holdings Group, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Japan Post was formed in 2007 after the company underwent privatization.
In 2022, Japan Post recently opened packages to other countries after cutting off service due to worldwide shipping issues. In addition, there are delays in shipping, particularly if you opt for surface mail.
Japan Post package tracking
Japan Post offers reliable tracking services that allow you to follow your package’s journey from start to finish.
How to find your Japan Post package tracking number
Your Japan Post package tracking number should be found on your shipping confirmation, whether through email or on your paper receipt.
The tracking number is up to13 digits long. Postal items/yu-pack have codes look like 12345678901. Meanwhile, international package tracking numbers look like AA123456789JP.
How to track your Japan Post package location
Once you find your Japan Post tracking number, you can track it on their website. Using the Japan Post package tracking system, you can search mail items up to 100 at once.
Alternatively, you can use services like Circuit Package Tracker. Circuit Package Tracker allows you to track your package on the web or to use an app where you can give your package an identifiable nickname.
Lost Japan Post tracking number
You want to track the Japan Post package but lost your tracking number. Don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try retrieving your lost number.
How to track a Japan Post package without a tracking number
You cannot track a Japan Post package without your tracking number. However, there are several things you can do to try recovering your tracking information.
- Check your internet history: If you previously tracked your package, the tracking number may have been saved on whatever website you used to track your package.
- Check your email: If you paid for your package package online, a confirmation email containing the tracking number would have been sent to you. Double-check your inbox (and Spam folder) to find if it’s still there.
- Contact the shipper: If you’re the package recipient, the shipper may still have your tracking information. Contact them to find out if they can send it to you again.
- Visit your local Japan Post branch: Your local Japan Post branch may help you find the package information. Take any useful information with you, including the date you shipped the package, the sender’s address, the recipient's address, and what service you paid for.
Solving Japan Post package tracking issues
Regarding the Japan Post tracking package, the transit service does its best to keep tabs on your package.
However, occasions may happen when you find that your tracking isn’t updating. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Your tracking number may be incorrect: Double-check your tracking number to make sure you entered it correctly on the website.
- It may be a holiday: As with any other country’s postal service, Japan Post doesn’t operate on national holidays. If you sent your package internationally, tracking wouldn’t update if that country is observing a holiday.
- The website is down: Couriers often update their websites – this can affect their tracking services. In this case, you can track your package using an app like Circuit Package Tracker.
Why you can’t track your Japan Post package
It can be frustrating if you can’t track your package or it isn’t updating as expected.
Once you get your Japan Post package tracking, you’ll likely want to know your item’s progress—especially if you paid more for express shipping.
If you’ve considered the advice above and still can’t track your package, you need to contact Japan Post or visit your local Japan Post office to figure out what is happening.
Why your Japan Post package is not updating or moving
If your Japan Post package tracking is not updating or moving, there are a few considerations for you to make.
- It’s a holiday: If your package ships during “Golden Week,” a holiday that observes Showa Day (April 29), Constitution Day (May 3), Greenery Day (May 4), and Children’s Day (May 5) your package is likely to be delayed. Japan Post typically posts updates to their website, during which days delivery is suspended.
- The carrier forgot to scan it: While unfortunate, this happens occasionally. Occasionally, an overworked mail carrier will forget to scan a package at one part of your package’s journey.
- The country of destination does not offer tracking: If your package is going to a country that does not offer tracking for that particular package, your package’s tracking information will not be updated.
- Your tracking number is incorrect: While unfortunate, it does happen. If you getd your tracking number from a shipper, you should contact them to make sure they gave you the correct number. If you getd your tracking directly from Japan Post, likely, there are simply delays in updating your package’s information.
Japan Post package tracking status explained
As you track your Japan Post package, you’ll notice different statuses. The statuses include:
- Posting/Collection: Japan Post has your package.
- Arrival at outward office of exchange: If your package is being sent by air, it means it arrived at the corresponding airport in Japan.
- Dispatch from outward office of exchange: Your package is on the plane and on its way to its destination.
- Arrival at inward office of exchange: Your package arrived at its destination.
- Item presented to import customs: As with any crucial package in a different country, your Japan Post package is being inspected at the local customs office.
- Processed at the delivery post office: Your package made it through customs and is ready to be sent to the delivery post office.
- Item out for physical delivery: Your package is finally out for delivery! Hurray!
- Final delivery: Your package was delivered.
In transit
As your package begins its destination, the Japan Post office will scan it on collection.
Once it leaves the office, you will get various updates, including the ones mentioned above. Update scans will show your package location, whether the package is in Osaka, Japan, or the United States of America.
Keep in mind that your Japan Post transit time will vary.
Why your Japan Post package is still in transit
If your Japan Post package appears to be in transit, it’s possible that one of their employees missed scanning it.
If your package travels internationally, that is doubly true as other countries’ postal employees may not be obligated to scan every package to update it.
You can also expect a wait if your package’s last update was customs. Each country’s customs inspection time varies and could take as little as one day or as many as twelve (or more)!
How long a Japan Post package can stay in transit
The time your package stays in transit depends on whether you’re shipping domestically (within Japan) or internationally.
If you’re using Japan Post to ship a package overseas, you can expect a roughly two weeks transit time. However, depending on your destination and other factors, it could take up to four months.
Pending
If your Japan Post package is pending and hasn’t been updated after the “posting/collection” update, it means there are no updates for your package. Don’t panic; it could simply be waiting for an update scan.
Why your Japan Post package may be pending
Your Japan Post package may not have had any updates and is stuck “pending” for various reasons, including a forgotten scan.
However, if your country has been affected by a restriction, your package may not leave Japan. If you have concerns about whether your package is not shippable to your country, check Japan Post’s website for updates.
Japan Post delivery times
Without a doubt, Japan Post has excellent delivery times compared to other national couriers.
However, once a package is out of their hands, you must wait for delivery from your local courier service.
Japan Post delivery times: what time will your package arrive?
The time your package arrives depends on the speed of service you pay. For example, registered mail delivers on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. If you miss your registered mail, you can ask for a redelivery attempt before 9 pm if you ask for it by 5 pm that day.
Japan Post support works weekdays from 8 am and 9 pm, and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 9 am to 9 pm. Some counters are open at night.
How late Japan Post delivers
Japan Post typically delivers until 7 pm hours. They’re typically open seven days a week unless a holiday or an external factor affects deliveries.
International Japan Post delivery times
Japan Post delivers internationally, and delivery time varies by country and post office of origin.
For example, packages shipped from Tokyo International Post Office will arrive faster than those posted from the Kawasaki Higashi Post Office.
Another consideration is the service you pay for. Air packages travel faster than Economy Air (SAL) packages.
- Asian countries: Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, can take as few as four days or as long as three months.
- Oceania: Shipping to Australia and New Zealand will find packages arrive between 6 days or two months.
- North America: Canada, the US, and Mexico could take as few as five days and three months.
- Middle East: Shipping to the middle east could take eleven days or up to four months.
- Europe: packages shipped to Europe could get delivered within four days or take up to two months to arrive.
- Africa: Packages sent to Africa could take nine days but may take as long as two months to be delivered.
- South America: Peru could find a package arrive in less than a week. However, if you paid for a slower service, it could take up to four months to arrive.
Lost and missed Japan Post deliveries
No one likes dealing with lost or missing packages.
If you believe your Registered, Insured, or International package shipped with Japan Post is lost, you can ask them to search for it within six months of your package being sent.
The search form is available for download on Japan Post’s website, or you can visit your local Japan Post branch and ask for a form.
You will need to present a photo ID such as a driving license or medical insurance card for proof of identity.
What happens if you miss a Japan Post delivery
If you miss a Japan Post delivery, they will leave a delivery notice for you. You can get a preferred timeslot for redelivery or redirect the package to another address.
Japan Post will hold onto the package for 15 days. You can submit an ask for redelivery or go to your local post office to pick up your package.
How long will Japan Post hold a package?
Japan Post will hold your package for up to 15 days. Any mail that has customs duties is held for one month.
What to do if you haven’t received your Japan Post package
If you haven’t got your Japan Post package, but tracking says it was delivered, you need to contact your local Japan Post branch for more information.
If the package was shipped internationally and you haven’t got it, it’s possible it is stuck in customs and needs to be processed before moving onto the delivery phase.
Japan Post FAQs
Japan Post’s service, you can check out their FAQ page. However, we’ve got the most common questions covered:
Is Japan Post delivery fast?
Although “fast” is subjective, Japan Post’s delivery service is considered reliable.
Speed of delivery will be contingent on the service you choose and your package’s destination.
Packages shipped domestically or within Asia are delivered faster than packages sent to North America or South America.
Can I track my Japan Posts package by address?
You cannot track your Japan Post package with an address. You need to know the package’s tracking number to follow its journey from start to finish.
How do I know if my Japan Post package is stuck in customs?
If Japan Post sends your package from another country, it will be inspected at one of Japan's six international exchange offices.
You should expect a customs inspection unless the message “Dispatched from the International exchange office” is in your tracking history. You will need to contact a customs counselor if your package is stuck in customs.
To send a package internationally using Japan Post, you’ll need to fill out a customs clearance form.
The form is inspected by customs officials and must be legible in the language most commonly used in the destination country. (English is typically used on customs forms.) You are responsible for making sure the item you’re sending is legal to get in the destination country.
If local customs hold up the package you sent internationally, Japan Post cannot get them to release your package.
However, you can send an Investigation ask for to check on the current status of your package by visiting the post office where you shipped your package.
For Japan Post packages sent abroad, tracking messages regarding customs may vary.
For example, if your Japan Post package goes to the USA, your update may read “Held in Customs.”
Additionally, there is the potential that any forbidden items that caused your package to get stuck in customs could be removed from your package. In this case, you will get a slip from customs telling you that they took the item.
Japan Post summary
Have you ever wondered, “How do I track my Japan Post package?” All you need is your tracking number to follow your package’s journey from start to finish.
Follow your Japan Post package from the store to your door and download Circuit Package Tracker Package Tracker for free now.
