Sources: METI, Japan Consumer Credit Association and provider disclosures, 2024–2025.
How Japan pays
Japan pays online mostly by credit card, and one of those cards is homegrown: JCB, Japan's own international scheme, sits beside Visa, Mastercard and Amex. Cash still matters too. Konbini payments let a shopper check out online and settle at a convenience store counter, while bank transfers and carrier billing cover customers who prefer not to use a card.
The fastest change is in mobile wallets. PayPay and other QR code apps grew quickly under the government's cashless push, and Apple Pay rides on the domestic contactless networks. Under the Installment Sales Act and the industry's security guidelines, EMV 3-D Secure became mandatory for e-commerce from 2025. For an enterprise merchant, the value is optimization: 3DS that keeps friction low, retries across acquirers to protect approvals, and cards, wallets and local methods behind one integration, settled in yen.
Why merchants run on us here
JCB alongside Visa and Mastercard
JCB cards sit in most Japanese wallets, so checkout has to treat them as first-class, not an afterthought.
Cash, at the corner store
Konbini payments let shoppers order online and pay in cash at 7-Eleven, Lawson or FamilyMart, a habit that endures.
QR wallets on the rise
PayPay leads a field of code payment apps, joined by Rakuten Pay and d Payment, part of the government's cashless push.
3DS done right, in yen
EMV 3DS on every card-not-present payment as the industry guidelines require, with routing across acquirers and yen settlement.
Payment methods
Cards
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover
Diners Club
JCB
UnionPayBuy Now, Pay Later
Sandbox BNPLDigital wallets
PayPalExpress checkout
Apple Pay
Google PayGateways
Sandbox BNPLPayPal
Airwallex
Stripe
Adyen
Unlimit
Worldpay
Checkout.com
Authorize.net
MPGS
Cybersource
Sandbox GatewayAirwallex (Enterprise)
Braintree
CommerceHub
Fiserve
NMI
Nuvei
OrbitalBuilt for enterprise
Everything it takes to run payments in Japan
Local payment methods are only half the job. We carry the operational weight — acquiring, settlement, FX, licensing and reconciliation — so you can treat Japan like any other market in your stack.
One integration, every local method
Connect once and reach every card scheme, wallet, bank rail and installment provider in Japan through a single API — no separate contract or integration per provider.
Local acquiring, higher approvals
We route to local acquirers and retry failed payments across alternate rails, so domestic cards and wallets authorize at local rates instead of being declined as cross-border traffic.
Settlement, FX & repatriation
Collect in the Japanese yen (JPY) and settle in your base currency. We handle the FX conversion and the local rules for moving funds out of the country — the part most global merchants underestimate.
Licensing handled locally
Process through our locally licensed partner entities. You launch without standing up a local entity or chasing a payments license of your own.
Payouts & reconciliation
Pay out to sellers and process refunds on the same rails you collect on, and reconcile every flow — pay-in, payout, refund — in one ledger, in local or base currency.
Fraud, disputes & compliance
Real-time screening, chargeback and dispute handling, and KYC/AML that matches local regulator expectations — built in, not bolted on.
Ready to launch in Japan?
Talk to our payments team about going live in Japan — coverage, local acquiring, settlement and timelines for your business.