[3] It occurs in temperate and tropical waters along the continental shelf and slopes[4] and primarily feeds on teleost fish and squid.

[5][4] Additionally, there is one record of S. japonicus being caught in a trawl net in the Arafura Sea, between Australia and Western New Guinea.

[3] It is a demersal species, found on the continental shelf and upper slope[4] at depths of 52 to 400 m (170.6 to 1312 ft).

[4] A study in the East China Sea found an equal sex ratio of both embryos and adults.

[5] Populations in Japan have been stable since 1983, but shark abundance elsewhere in its range has been in decline since the middle of the twentieth century.