Amazon Japan vs Rakuten: choose your first channel.

Compare the work behind each channel.

This is a seller comparison of Amazon.co.jp, Rakuten Ichiba and an owned storefront such as Shopify. Use the table to shortlist a route, then test it against your product and team. The suggested checks are planning judgments, not predictions of sales.

On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare all three options.

The platform features above are described in Amazon's Japan guide, Rakuten's merchant requirements and Shopify's international sales documentation. The checks to request are our suggested way to compare those operating choices.

Can a US business use either marketplace?

Both provide routes for overseas sellers. Amazon says a business outside Japan may not need to form a Japanese company, depending on its circumstances. Rakuten's current direct-contract country list includes the USA, with additional conditions possible; its alternative is a service-partner route. Neither statement approves your particular product or application.

Before paying for a store build, ask the marketplace or proposed operator to confirm eligibility for your company and product, required documents, settlement arrangements and who signs the contract. Keep that answer with the proposal you are evaluating.

Decide who owns the daily work.

Amazon: define what stays with your team.

Amazon offers FBA to store, pack and ship orders, or merchant fulfillment. Write down who will maintain product facts, arrange inventory replenishment, review Japanese copy and resolve questions that fall outside the selected service. Our guide to preparing a Japanese Amazon listing covers that copy review field by field. Use our Amazon Japan launch guide for the execution sequence after choosing the channel.

Rakuten: budget for shop operation.

Rakuten lists Japanese proficiency requirements for setup, page maintenance, customer support, orders, returns and campaigns. Its RMS shop interface is in Japanese. Identify a capable internal operator or an agreed partner scope before committing.

A bilingual onboarding contact and an outsourced operating team are different arrangements. Ask who actually edits the shop, answers customers, approves promotions and handles an absence. Request those responsibilities in writing.

Owned store: connect the storefront to a traffic plan.

Shopify's international tools support country or region markets and localized shopping experiences. Treat this as store infrastructure. Your plan still needs a reason for buyers to visit, a Japanese-language buying journey and a person responsible for service.

An owned store is worth evaluating if your team can explain how it will reach a defined audience. If the proposal starts and ends with building pages, ask for the missing acquisition and operating plan before approving it.

Compare costs for the same product and sales assumptions.

A monthly platform fee is too narrow a basis for the decision. Amazon identifies selling-plan and category referral fees, with additional costs for optional services. Rakuten distinguishes direct-contract fees from partner pricing. Request current terms for the route you would actually use; an advertised fee is not a complete launch budget.

Build one worksheet per shortlisted channel using the same SKU, expected order count, inventory period and exchange-rate assumption. Separate confirmed costs from estimates and ask the responsible provider to fill any gaps.

• Setup and commitments: onboarding, localization, photography, store work, specialist review, minimum terms and cancellation conditions.
• Per-order costs: product cost, channel and payment charges, packing, delivery and an explicit allowance for returns.
• Inventory costs: inbound freight, storage, replenishment and a plan for unsold stock.
• Demand creation: advertising, creative, promotions, points or discounts where applicable, and the people managing them.
• Ongoing operations: Japanese support, content updates, reporting, software and partner fees.

As a planning calculation, subtract variable costs from expected net sales per order, then show acquisition costs and fixed operating costs separately. Test a lower-sales case before accepting the proposal. Have the appropriate tax or accounting specialist confirm tax treatment; do not build the comparison around an assumed exemption.

Three ways the decision could change.

These are illustrative planning scenarios, not client cases or forecasts.

A focused product range with an existing Amazon team.

Suppose your team already manages Amazon operations and has a small range with clear product specifications. Start by evaluating Amazon Japan. Before choosing it, compare local competing offers, product eligibility and margin under the proposed fulfillment route. Familiar software alone does not establish demand.

A brand with a funded Japanese shop operator.

Suppose the proposal includes a capable Japanese operator and a reason to invest in a merchant shop. Evaluate Rakuten alongside Amazon. Ask the operator to demonstrate a sample shop structure and campaign calendar, with labor and promotion costs attached. Reject a proposal that leaves customer service unassigned.

A brand with a credible route to Japanese visitors.

Suppose you can name the audience, the acquisition activity and who will run it. Evaluate an owned store, including the cost of generating visits. If the traffic plan depends on untested assumptions, design a limited test before committing to a large store build or inventory order.

What should be clear before you commit?

Shortlist the channel with the fewest unresolved operating assumptions for your product. Use these questions in the next internal or provider discussion:

1. Which products and buyer use cases are in the first test, and which are excluded?
2. What confirms company and product eligibility, and which specialist questions remain open?
3. Who owns Japanese copy, inventory, customer support, returns and promotions?
4. What is the cost under a conservative sales case, including labor and acquisition?
5. Which observations would justify continuing, changing the offer or pausing?

Starting with one channel can make those responsibilities easier to inspect. Add another only when the team can explain what it contributes and how it will be operated. For the wider entry sequence, read our guide to selling products in Japan.

We help US brands pick the first channel as one step in their Japan market entry plan. Our Japan market-entry service covers commercial coordination, with qualified specialists for regulated work. A free 30-minute discovery consultation is a conversation about your product, business and interest in Japan to explore whether working together could be a fit. It does not include a written plan or other deliverables.

Sources.

• Amazon: Expand to Japan, covering account routes, product requirements, fulfillment choices and fee categories.
• Rakuten: How to open a shop, covering contract routes, Japanese operations, fees and screening.
• Rakuten's overseas merchant site, covering shop setup and the marketplace's points program.
• Rakuten's September 2025 international merchant announcement, with background on overseas merchant access.
• Shopify: International sales tools, covering markets and localized storefront experiences.