Two early Carboniferous brachiopod species, Levitusia humerosa (Sowerby) and Grandispirifer mylkensis Yang, are described from Japan for the first time. These species, from the middle part of the Arisu Formation in the Okuhinotsuchi area, South Kitakami Belt, indicate an early Visean age. Therefore, the middle part of the Arisu Formation is correlated with the lower Visean. In terms of palaeobiogeography, occurrence of the two species suggests that South Kitakami was probably the eastern extension of the North China Province, and located near and to the east of North China (Sino-Korea) during the early Visean.