Last reviewed: August 2026

How to Contact Japanese Suppliers: Practical Email Templates

Japanese suppliers are more likely to respond when the first message shows who you are, what you sell, what you want and where the goods will go. The goal is not perfect Japanese—it is a credible, answerable business request.

Business professional preparing an inquiry to a Japanese supplier — A short, specific inquiry is easier to answer than a long introduction with no quantities.

Include these facts in the first message

Legal company name, website and sales channel
Country and target customer
Exact product or category
Trial quantity and expected repeat quantity
Destination and requested delivery timing
Questions about MOQ, price, lead time and export availability
Your name, title and business contact details

Concise English template

Subject: Wholesale inquiry – [product/category] for [country]

Dear [Company/Name],

My name is [name] from [company], an online/offline retailer in [country]. We sell [brief customer/category description]. We are interested in [exact products or URLs].

For an initial order, we are considering [quantity] units/SKUs, with potential reorders of [quantity/frequency]. Please let us know your wholesale price, MOQ or case pack, sample availability, lead time, payment terms and whether you can deliver to a warehouse in Japan.

Our company information: [website / registration / sales channels]. Destination market: [country].

Thank you. I look forward to your reply.
[signature]

Simple Japanese template

件名：海外販売向け卸取引のご相談（商品名・国名）

株式会社〇〇
ご担当者様

突然のご連絡失礼いたします。［国名］で［販売形態］を運営しております［会社名］の［氏名］と申します。貴社の［商品名・URL］の仕入れを検討しております。

初回は［数量］、その後は［頻度・予定数量］を想定しています。卸価格、最小発注数量（MOQ）、ケース入数、サンプルの可否、納期、お支払い条件、日本国内倉庫への納品可否についてご教示いただけますでしょうか。

会社情報：［URL等］
販売予定国：［国名］

何卒よろしくお願いいたします。
［署名］

Questions for the second message

Once the supplier confirms interest, ask about specifications, packaging, labeling, defect policy, discontinued items, territory or channel restrictions, export documentation and whether product photos may be used. Do not bury twenty detailed questions in the first email.

Common reasons inquiries receive no reply

Problem	Better approach
“Send catalog and best price” with no context	Name the product, quantity and market.
Free email and no company evidence	Use a business domain and link to a credible storefront.
Request below any realistic wholesale scale	Ask for a paid sample and state a reorder plan.
Unclear destination or resale channel	Disclose both; some brands have territory restrictions.
Repeated daily follow-ups	Wait several business days, then send one short follow-up.

Translation is not negotiation. A bilingual message helps, but the commercial proposal still needs quantities, timing and a credible reason for the supplier to work with you.

If you need Japanese-language supplier contact and follow-up, discuss your sourcing brief →

A useful follow-up

Refer to the original date, restate the exact product, and add one helpful piece of information—such as an adjusted trial quantity or company introduction. If there is still no reply, the company may not support wholesale, export or your channel. Keep a supplier pipeline instead of relying on one lead.

Have a sourcing brief?

Tell us the product, target quantity, destination and target cost. We will explain what can be researched, sampled, inspected and shipped.

Discuss Your Sourcing Brief