TLDR: Japan's Animal Quarantine Service operates during standard business hours. Pets arriving after 5PM cannot be inspected until customs reopens the following day and remain in their crates overnight at the facility. There are no exceptions. The 5PM cutoff must be factored into flight selection before booking by calculating the local Japan Standard Time arrival, not the US departure time.
Japan's pet import inspection is handled by the Animal Quarantine Service at the port of entry. AQS customs operates during standard business hours. If your pet arrives after 5PM, the inspection cannot be completed that day. Your pet remains in their crate at the facility until customs reopens the following morning. For a pet that has already been crated for a long international flight, an additional overnight hold is a significant welfare concern. Here is how the 5PM cutoff works and how to account for it when booking flights. For a full overview of all Japan import requirements, see our Japan pet import guide.
Pets that arrive at a Japanese port of entry after 5PM are held at the AQS facility in their transport crates. They cannot be released until AQS customs reopens the following day. The length of the overnight hold depends on the arrival time and when AQS opens the next morning.
There is no mechanism to request an after-hours inspection or an emergency release. The cutoff is fixed. An overnight hold applies regardless of whether all your documents are in order and regardless of how long your pet has already been crated on the flight.
The 5PM cutoff must be factored into flight selection before booking. The key calculation is local arrival time in Japan, not departure time from the US.
Japan Standard Time (JST) is UTC+9. There is no daylight saving time in Japan. A flight departing the US East Coast in the morning will typically arrive in Japan the following afternoon or evening depending on the route and duration. A 14-hour nonstop from Boston departing at noon EST arrives at approximately 3PM to 4PM JST the following day, within the window. The same flight departing at 3PM EST arrives at approximately 6PM to 7PM JST, after the cutoff.
West Coast departures have more flexibility due to the shorter flight time. A nonstop from Los Angeles to Tokyo runs approximately 11 to 12 hours. A midday departure from Los Angeles arrives in Japan in the late afternoon JST, typically within the window.
Confirm the local JST arrival time for every routing under consideration before booking. Do not rely on departure time alone.
If your routing includes a layover, the total elapsed journey time increases. A US East Coast routing through a European hub adds several hours to the total journey. The JST arrival time on connecting routes must be calculated against the full itinerary, not just the final leg.
When booking a connecting route, confirm the scheduled JST arrival time at the Japanese port of entry and build in buffer for delays. A connection that is running late can push an on-time arrival into an after-cutoff arrival. Your relocation coordinator can help select a routing with sufficient buffer.
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The curriculum states 5PM as the cutoff. Pets arriving after 5PM are held overnight in their crates until customs reopens the following day. Confirm current AQS operating hours with the relevant port office before travel.
No exception is stated in the curriculum. The cutoff applies regardless of documentation status.
Japan Standard Time is UTC+9 with no daylight saving time. Convert your scheduled arrival time to JST and confirm it falls before 5PM. Your airline or relocation coordinator can confirm the scheduled local arrival time.
The curriculum states the cutoff without specifying it is limited to specific ports. Confirm the operating hours with the AQS office at your intended port of entry before travel.