PSA’s own FAQ states that it opened an office in Tokyo, Japan in 2018 and, as PSA Japan, handles all of its grading operations domestically — a fact that surprises collectors who assume every PSA slab still travels through the United States.
This guide covers what PSA Japan actually is, what its service tiers and fees look like as printed on PSA’s own Japanese site, who can submit to it, and what “PSA Japan” does and doesn’t change about the label on the card in your hands.
PSA Japan has handled all grading domestically in Japan since 2018, and PSA’s FAQ states plainly that its standards “are not different” by country or office. PSA Japan currently accepts submissions only from residents of Japan; PSA US has paused submissions from outside the United States. No page we could check describes a Japan-specific label; both PSA sites name the PSA LightHouse™ label. Our PSA 10 Klara SR (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) is sold out at the time of this update — sourcing requests go through Quick Order.
Store prices and availability checked September 25, 2026 at 13:48 JST. Marketplace observations retain their stated dates. USD conversions use ¥154 per US dollar.
All fee and policy quotes below are printed on PSA’s own pages as printed on September 18, 2026, with the source URL given. USD figures convert at ¥154/USD (approximate).
What Is PSA Japan?
PSA’s own FAQ explains the history directly: “2018年には日本・東京に事業所を開設し、PSA Japanとして、全てのグレーディング業務を日本国内で行っています” — PSA opened an office in Tokyo, Japan in 2018, and as PSA Japan handles all of its grading operations domestically. (psacard.com/ja-JP/support/faq, as printed on September 18, 2026)
PSA’s Japanese homepage frames the same office in marketing terms: “国内完結の安心感×世界標準のグレーディング基準” (the reassurance of a process completed entirely within Japan, combined with a world-standard grading standard), and states PSA has graded “累計1億7,000万点以上” (over 170 million items cumulatively) since its 1991 founding. The same page mentions a physical location, “PSA Lounge Tokyo,” which opened in Akihabara. (psacard.com/ja-JP, as printed on September 18, 2026)
Same Label, Same Standards
The most common question about a Japan-graded card is whether it was judged more strictly, or more leniently, than a US-graded one. PSA’s FAQ answers this directly:
“PSA Japanのグレーディング基準はPSA USよりも厳しいのですか？ いいえ、PSAのグレーディング基準が国や事業所によって異なることはありません。PSA Japanでは、米国本社で定めたグレーディング基準に準拠して鑑定を行っており、グレーディングの均質化を非常に重視しています。” (Is PSA Japan’s standard stricter than PSA US’s? No, PSA’s grading standard does not differ by country or office; PSA Japan grades according to the standard set by the US head office, with a strong focus on keeping grading consistent.) (psacard.com/ja-JP/support/faq, as printed on September 18, 2026)
The final label a card receives states the same thing PSA uses everywhere: “Step 3 ホルダー封入 カードを超音波で密封された改ざん防止ホルダーに封入します。カードのグレードと証明番号は、PSA LightHouse™ラベルに表示されます。” (Step 3, Encapsulation: the card is sealed in an ultrasonically-welded, tamper-evident holder; the card’s grade and certification number are shown on the PSA LightHouse™ label.) (psacard.com/ja-JP/services/tradingcardgrading, as printed on September 18, 2026) We could not find any page stating that the label design or wording differs between a card graded in Japan and one graded elsewhere — on the pages we could check, it’s the same PSA LightHouse™ holder either way.
Who Can Actually Submit to PSA Japan
This is where “PSA Japan” gets more restrictive than the marketing suggests. PSA’s FAQ states two separate limits:
“PSA Japanに対して、日本国外からの申し込みは可能ですか？ 現在、PSA Japanにグレーディングサービスをお申し込みいただけるのは、日本国内にお住まいの方に限らせて頂いております。” (Can I submit to PSA Japan from outside Japan? Currently, submissions to PSA Japan’s grading service are limited to residents of Japan.)
“PSA USに対して、日本からの申し込みは可能ですか？ 現在、PSA USは米国外のお客さまからのグレーディング提出受付を停止しております。これに伴い、日本在住のお客さまにおいては、PSA Vaultをはじめとする米国経由のサービスが一時的に制限されています。” (Can I submit to PSA US from Japan? Currently, PSA US has suspended accepting grading submissions from customers outside the United States, which also temporarily limits US-routed services such as PSA Vault for customers living in Japan.) (psacard.com/ja-JP/support/faq, as printed on September 18, 2026)
Put together: PSA Japan submissions are for Japan residents only, and PSA US isn’t currently taking international submissions either. For overseas collectors, that means the practical route to a PSA 10 Japanese card is buying one that’s already graded, not submitting your own raw card through either office.
A few other FAQ answers worth knowing before submitting anything: PSA Japan doesn’t accept coupons or vouchers issued by PSA US (“PSA Japanではバウチャー/クーポンはご利用できません。PSA USのみの対応となっています”), and it does not currently accept Pokemon coin submissions (“現在、PSA Japanではコインのグレーディングサービスの提出受付を停止しており…”). (psacard.com/ja-JP/support/faq, as printed on September 18, 2026)
PSA Japan’s Service Tiers and Fees
PSA Japan’s services page lists ten per-card tiers, priced in yen and inclusive of tax (税込), as printed on September 18, 2026:
| Tier (サービスレベル) | Fee, per card | Estimated turnaround | Declared-value cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (スタンダード) | ¥9,980 (~$65) | 100 business days | ¥150,000 or less |
| Priority (プライオリティ) | ¥11,980 (~$78) | 80 business days | ¥250,000 or less |
| Express (エクスプレス) | ¥29,980 (~$195) | 25 business days | ¥400,000 or less |
| Super Express (スーパー・エクスプレス) | ¥44,980 (~$292) | 25 business days | ¥750,000 or less |
| Premier (プレミア) | ¥89,980 (~$584) | 25 business days | ¥1,500,000 or less |
| Premium 1 | ¥149,980 (~$974) | 25 business days | ¥4,000,000 or less |
| Premium 10 | ¥1,499,980 (~$9,740) | 15 business days | ¥35,000,001 or more |
(psacard.com/ja-JP/services/tradingcardgrading, as printed on September 18, 2026; Premium 2, 3 and 5 tiers exist between Premium 1 and Premium 10 but are omitted here for length)
PSA Japan also states plainly that turnaround is not a promise: “予定納期はあくまで目安であり、保証されるものではありません” (the estimated turnaround is only a guideline and is not guaranteed). A separate fee applies for insurance and return shipping, on top of the grading fee itself: “グレーディング料金とは別に、保険料と返送料を頂戴しております。” (psacard.com/ja-JP/services/tradingcardgrading, as printed on September 18, 2026)
PSA also announced a September 2026 pricing and naming change on its Japanese site: as of September 10, 2026, the Express tier’s fee moved from ¥22,980 to ¥29,980; a new Standard tier at ¥9,980 became available from September 15, 2026; and, also from September 15, PSA renamed “Regular” to “Priority” (with its turnaround changing from 60 to 80 business days) and “Walk-Through” to “Premier.” (psacard.com/ja-JP/info/20260910-service-level-definition-change, as printed on September 18, 2026) If you’re comparing quotes from before and after that date, the tier names and prices above are the current ones.
How a Submission Is Packed and Sent
PSA Japan’s own submission guide is specific about packaging, and it’s worth knowing even if you never submit a card yourself, because it explains what a raw card looked like just before it became the graded slab you might buy from us:
“カードの梱包には、トップローダーやサイドローダーではなく、カードセイバーをご使用ください。” (For packing the card, use a Card Saver, not a toploader or side-loader.) “ソフトスリーブにカードを入れ、スリーブに入ったカードをカードセイバーに入れます。” (Put the card in a soft sleeve, then put the sleeved card into the Card Saver.) (psacard.com/ja-JP/info/shipguide, as printed on September 18, 2026)
Submitters can also bring items in person at certain service levels: “直接PSA Japanにグレーディングしたいアイテムを持ち込むことは可能ですか？ はい、可能です。” (Can I bring items directly to PSA Japan for grading? Yes, that’s possible, depending on the service level.) (psacard.com/ja-JP/support/faq, as printed on September 18, 2026) After grading, the card comes back inside the PSA LightHouse™ holder described earlier.
Buying Already-Graded Japanese Cards Instead
Because PSA Japan only accepts submissions from Japan residents, and PSA US isn’t currently taking overseas submissions, most collectors outside Japan who want a PSA-graded Japanese card are buying one that’s already been through the process rather than sending a raw card in themselves. That’s the market we source and ship from Tokyo — our own guide to buying Japanese Pokemon cards from Japan covers that route in more detail.
Our own PSA 10 product pages carry a case-condition disclosure: “Please note that the PSA case may have minor scratches or marks on its surface.” (samuraiswordtokyo.com product page (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), as printed on September 18, 2026) Our Product Condition Guide makes the same point more generally: “A PSA grade is an assessment of the card itself, not of the slab (case) it is sealed in.” (as printed on September 18, 2026, “Last updated: July 23, 2026”) That distinction — the grade certifies the card, not the holder around it — is worth keeping in mind whichever grading office produced the slab.
Where to Buy
We currently list a wide range of PSA 10 Japanese Pokemon singles, all graded and shipped from the same market PSA Japan serves. Our PSA 10 Klara SR (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) is sold out at the time of this update, and the full PSA 10 collection covers everything else we currently list. For a card that isn’t currently listed, sourcing requests go through Quick Order. Our grading guide compares PSA, BGS and CGC if you’re deciding between services, and our PSA 10 meaning explainer covers what the grade itself certifies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PSA Japan?
PSA’s Tokyo office, opened in 2018, which handles all grading operations for cards submitted there domestically in Japan, per PSA’s own FAQ.
Is PSA Japan’s grading stricter or more lenient than PSA US?
No. PSA’s FAQ states its grading standard does not differ by country or office, and that PSA Japan grades according to the same standard set by the US head office.
Can I submit a card to PSA Japan from outside Japan?
No. PSA’s FAQ states that submissions to PSA Japan are currently limited to residents of Japan.
How much does PSA Japan charge to grade a card?
As printed on PSA’s Japanese services page on September 18, 2026, the Standard tier is ¥9,980 per card with an estimated 100 business-day turnaround; higher tiers cost more and turn around faster. Turnaround times are stated as estimates, not guarantees.
Does the PSA label look different on a card graded in Japan?
No page we could check describes a Japan-specific label. Both PSA US and PSA Japan describe encapsulating cards in the same PSA LightHouse™ holder with the grade and certification number on the label.
If I can’t submit to PSA Japan myself, how do I get a PSA 10 Japanese card?
Buying an already-graded card is the practical route for most overseas collectors, since PSA Japan accepts Japan-resident submissions only and PSA US has paused overseas submissions. We currently list a range of PSA 10 Japanese singles shipped from Tokyo.
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