German forwarder the Rhenus Group has set up a joint venture with Sankyo Corporation, part of Japan’s Fujiki Group.

Rhenus Sankyo Logistics will mainly handle imports and exports to and from Japan, along with domestic distribution and warehousing. Rhenus Asia already works with Sankyo’s US subsidiary, Clearfreight.

Rhenus board member Tobias Bartz said the JV would help his company gain a foothold in what can be a difficult market for foreign companies to penetrate.