As soon as the agreement enters into force, some 91% of EU exports to Japan will no longer be subject to tariffs. After various transitional periods, this will apply to 99% of all EU exports to Japan. By the same token, the EU will immediately eliminate tariffs on 75% of imports from Japan and raise this figure to close to 100% later on. In the vast majority of cases, tariffs will be eliminated upon entry into force of the agreement. Transitional periods will apply for some imported goods including Japanese vehicles, the tariffs on which will be incrementally lowered over a period of 7 years.

The removal of tariffs will make goods from Germany and Europe more competitive on the Japanese market. Export-driven industries, in particular, will benefit from streamlined export procedures and be able to tap into new fields of business. Consumers in Europe will find that lower import tariffs on Japanese products make these more affordable.

The agreement will also eliminate a large number of non-tariff barriers to trade. This mainly applies to the many Japanese rules and requirements that differ from international standards and standard practice and have hitherto made EU exports to Japan a complicated and expensive affair. Under the political agreement, Japan has notably committed to bringing its vehicles standards into line with international standards (EU/ECE).