How people pay in Japan in 2026
Japan is no longer the cash country it was. Cashless payments reached 58.0% of private consumption in 2025, or ¥162.7 trillion, according to METI. That beats the government's 40% goal for 2025, and the next target is 65% by 2030. Credit cards carry most of that volume, while QR code wallets led by PayPay are the fastest-growing layer.
Online, Japan is a large but steady market. Business-to-consumer e-commerce reached ¥27.6 trillion in 2025, up 5.5%. Shoppers still expect local options at checkout: JCB cards, payment at the convenience store counter, Pay-easy bank payments, cash on delivery and invoice-based post-payment. A checkout built only for Visa, Mastercard and PayPal leaves a large share of Japanese buyers without their preferred method. For a neighboring market, see our guide to payment methods in South Korea.
Payment by card in Japan
Cards are the backbone of cashless payments in Japan. Credit cards accounted for 82.7% of cashless payment value in 2025, or ¥134.6 trillion. Japanese issuers had 320.57 million credit cards in circulation in March 2025, about 3.1 cards per adult. Debit cards stay small, at 3.4% of cashless value (¥5.5 trillion).
The local scheme is JCB. It sits next to Visa and Mastercard on almost every Japanese card wallet, and many domestic cards are co-branded with retailers, railways or telecom groups. Read our guide on card networks for how these schemes split the value chain.
A Japanese specificity is the choice of repayment at the moment of purchase: single payment (ikkatsu), installments (bunkatsu), revolving (ribo) or bonus-month payment. Merchants who want to offer installments need an acquirer that passes these options to the issuer. Card economics also differ from Europe, so check our explainer on interchange fees.
Card schemes in Japan
JCB
Domestic card scheme
Japan's own international card network, issued by JCB and by partner banks and retailers. Japanese shoppers expect to see the JCB logo at checkout, online and in store.
181.9 million cardmembers worldwide, March 2026, JCB
Visa
International card scheme
Visa is carried by most Japanese issuers, often on co-branded cards that also hold a local point program. It is a must-have alongside JCB for domestic and inbound shoppers.
Mastercard
International card scheme
Mastercard is issued by Japanese banks and card companies and widely accepted online and in store. It matters for domestic cardholders and for inbound tourists.
J-Debit
Domestic debit scheme
J-Debit turns an ordinary bank cash card into a debit card at the point of sale, with funds taken straight from the account. It is mainly an in-store method and its infrastructure now also powers Bank Pay.
1,000+ financial institutions taking part in J-Debit, 2026, JEPPO
Payment by cash in Japan
Cash is shrinking but still present. Banknotes in circulation stood at ¥118.7 trillion in December 2025, down 2.7% year on year, according to the Bank of Japan. Many older consumers and people without a credit card still prefer to pay in cash, including for online orders.
That is where konbini payments come in. The shopper orders online, receives a payment number or barcode, and pays at the counter or the multimedia kiosk of a convenience store. Japan had 56,208 convenience stores in September 2026, so a payment point is almost always within walking distance. Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson cover most of the network, and payment collection (shuno daiko) is one of their core services, used for e-commerce, utility bills and tickets.
Cash on delivery (daibiki) remains common for marketplaces and catalog retailers. The courier collects payment at the door, and today often accepts cards and wallets as well as cash. See our #PayDecoding on cash on delivery.
Cash payment methods in Japan
Seven-Eleven
Konbini payment
The largest convenience store chain in Japan. Shoppers pay an online order in cash at the register with a payment slip number or barcode.
21,927 Seven-Eleven stores in Japan, fiscal year ended February 2026, Seven-Eleven Japan
FamilyMart
Konbini payment
Shoppers pay at the counter or through the in-store Famiport kiosk, using the reference number received after checkout.
16,466 FamilyMart stores in Japan, September 2026, FamilyMart
Lawson
Konbini payment
Shoppers pay at the counter or through the in-store Loppi kiosk. Lawson also accepts payment slips for bills and online orders.
14,629 Lawson Group stores in Japan, May 2026, Lawson
Cash on delivery (daibiki)
Cash on delivery
The parcel carrier collects the amount at delivery and remits it to the merchant. It is used by marketplaces, TV shopping and catalog retailers, especially with older customers.
Payment by bank transfer in Japan
Japan has a long tradition of bank payments. The Zengin System, the interbank clearing network for domestic transfers (furikomi), handles about 2.04 billion transactions a year, worth about ¥4,264 trillion. Since 2018 it has run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which makes transfers between most Japanese banks near instant. Our #PayDecoding on instant payment explains the model.
For merchants, the key local method is Pay-easy. The shopper receives payment numbers and pays from online banking, a mobile banking app or an ATM. Pay-easy processed 166.71 million payments worth ¥91.8 trillion in fiscal 2025, up 9% in volume, with taxes, utilities and e-commerce among the uses.
Bank Pay adds a QR code layer on top of bank accounts. It reuses the J-Debit network and lets users pay in store, send money and pay local taxes from their account. For the broader trend, see our article on account-to-account payments.
Bank transfer methods in Japan
Bank transfer (furikomi)
Bank transfer
The shopper pays by domestic transfer to the merchant's account, often to a virtual account number per order. Transfers clear through the Zengin System around the clock.
2.04 billion Zengin System transactions per year, as of December 2025, Japanese Bankers Association
Pay-easy
Online bank payment
Pay-easy lets shoppers pay with numbers shown at checkout, through internet banking, a banking app or an ATM bearing the Pay-easy logo. It is widely used for public fees, utilities and online orders.
166.71 million Pay-easy transactions in fiscal 2025, up 9%, Payment Navi
Bank Pay
Pay by bank
A QR code payment app run by the banks' J-Debit operator JEPPO. It debits the bank account directly, with no top-up, and also supports transfers up to ¥100,000 and local tax payment, according to JEPPO.
Payment by installment and BNPL in Japan
Japan had post-payment long before the term BNPL existed. With an invoice-based method (atobarai), the shopper receives the goods first and pays the invoice later at a convenience store, by bank transfer or by app. It suits shoppers who do not want to share card details online.
Net Protections is the leader of this model. Its NP Atobarai services had 15 million annual unique users in the fiscal year ended March 2026, about one in seven people in Japan. Its app-based service atone grew GMV by 55.4% to ¥62.0 billion in the same year. Paidy, owned by PayPal, sends one consolidated monthly bill and offers interest-free installments. Paidy said usage of its 6- and 12-payment plans rose about 60% year on year in the first quarter of 2026.
Credit card installments remain the other big channel. Shoppers can split a card purchase (bunkatsu) or move it to revolving repayment (ribo), often after the purchase, through the issuer's app. Read our #PayDecoding on buy now, pay later for the global picture.
Installment and BNPL providers in Japan
NP Atobarai
Post-payment invoice
The shopper receives the goods with an invoice and pays it afterwards, for example at a convenience store. The merchant is paid by Net Protections, which carries the collection risk.
15 million annual unique users of NP BNPL services, fiscal year ended March 2026, Net Protections
atone
BNPL app
Net Protections' app-based post-payment service. Purchases are grouped and paid once a month, with points earned on each payment.
8.5 million atone members, fiscal year ended March 2026, Net Protections
Paidy
BNPL
Shoppers check out with a mobile number and email, then pay once a month or in interest-free installments up to 36 payments. In-store installments started in 2026, while the Paidy Card was discontinued in September 2025.
20 million Paidy app downloads, April 2026, Paidy
Card installments (bunkatsu and ribo)
Card installment
Japanese credit cards let shoppers split a purchase into fixed installments or switch it to revolving repayment. Large issuers such as Rakuten Card let users change the plan after purchase.
¥7.1 trillion Rakuten Card shopping volume in Q2 2026, up 9.4%, Rakuten Group
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in Japan
QR code payments changed Japanese commerce in a few years. Code payments reached ¥16.6 trillion in 2025, or 10.2% of cashless value. PayPay dominates: it processed 8.88 billion payments in 2025, more than 20% of all cashless transactions in Japan, and counts 75 million registered users. LINE Pay closed in Japan in April 2025 and its users were moved toward PayPay. Rakuten Pay, d払い (d-barai), au PAY and Merpay complete the field, each backed by a large points ecosystem.
Contactless e-money is the older layer. Transit IC cards such as Suica and PASMO, retail e-money such as WAON and nanaco, and the iD and QUICPay contactless brands live in phones through Apple Pay and Android wallets. E-money is now declining in value: ¥6.0 trillion in 2025, down 3.0%, according to the Bank of Japan.
See our #PayDecoding on X-Pay and our article on QR code payments in Asia.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in Japan
PayPay
QR wallet
Japan's leading code payment app, used in store, online and for peer-to-peer transfers. PayPay and LINE started linking accounts in summer 2026.
75 million registered users, August 2026, PayPay
d払い (d-barai)
QR wallet
NTT Docomo's payment app, which also covers online payments and carrier billing. It is tied to the d POINT program and the iD contactless brand.
74.88 million d払い users (app downloads plus iD members), March 2026, NTT Docomo
Rakuten Pay
QR wallet
Rakuten's payment app for QR, barcode and online payments. It is often funded by a Rakuten Card and earns Rakuten Points.
¥29.1 billion Rakuten Payment segment revenue in Q2 2026, up 12.2%, Rakuten Group
au PAY
QR wallet
KDDI's code payment app, used in store and online by au mobile customers and others. It is part of KDDI's finance range, next to the au PAY credit cards.
Merpay
QR wallet
Mercari's payment service, which lets users spend marketplace sales and pay later. Docomo signs up merchants for d払い and Merpay together.
¥15.5 billion Mercari fintech revenue, October to December 2025, up 20%, Impress Watch
Suica and transit IC cards
Transit e-money
Suica (JR East), PASMO and the other interoperable transit IC cards pay for trains, buses, vending machines and shops. Mobile Suica runs on smartphones, including through Apple Pay.
120 million Suica cards and Mobile Suica issued, October 2025, nippon.com, JR East data
Payments in Japan: FAQ
What is the most popular payment method in Japan?
Credit cards. They made up 82.7% of cashless payment value in 2025, according to METI. QR code wallets are the second cashless method by value, at 10.2%.
Is Japan still a cash society?
Less and less. The cashless payment ratio reached 58.0% in 2025, and the government now targets 65% by 2030. Cash still matters for part of the population, which is why konbini payment and cash on delivery remain common online.
How do konbini payments work?
The shopper picks convenience store payment at checkout and receives a number or barcode. They pay in cash at Seven-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson or another chain, and the merchant is notified once the payment is made. Japan had 56,208 convenience stores in September 2026.
Which QR wallet should merchants accept in Japan?
PayPay first: it had 75 million registered users in August 2026 and handles most code payments. Rakuten Pay, d払い, au PAY and Merpay reach the customers of Japan's large points and telecom ecosystems.
Accept local payments in Japan with NORBr
In Japan, merchants usually use gateways such as GMO Payment Gateway, SB Payment Service or DG Financial Technology. A PSP, PayFac, ISO or ISV should check konbini and Pay-easy coverage, QR wallets such as PayPay and yen settlement.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers JCB, konbini payment, Pay-easy, post-payment invoices such as NP Atobarai and Paidy, and QR wallets such as PayPay. Some are already in our connector catalog; Mapper™ gets the others live in days, and Smart Checkout shows each shopper the right methods. Explore the other #PayWorldTour guides.
Local payment providers in Japan
GMO Payment Gateway
Payment gateway
Tokyo-based, listed payment gateway of the GMO Internet group, serving large e-commerce merchants, public bodies and subscription businesses with cards, konbini, bank transfer and QR code wallet acceptance.
Covers: Cards, Konbini, Pay-easy, Bank transfer, PayPay, d払い (d-barai), Rakuten Pay, au PAY, Merpay, Apple Pay
SB Payment Service
PSP
SoftBank group payment service provider that combines a multi-method gateway with card acquiring and mobile carrier billing for online merchants in Japan.
Covers: Cards, Konbini, Pay-easy, PayPay, d払い (d-barai), au PAY, Rakuten Pay, Merpay, Carrier billing, Apple Pay
DG Financial Technology (Veritrans)
Payment gateway
Digital Garage group company behind the VeriTrans4G gateway, used by mid-sized and large Japanese e-commerce merchants for cards, konbini, bank payments and wallets.
Covers: Cards, Konbini, Pay-easy, Bank transfer, PayPay, Rakuten Pay, d払い (d-barai), au PAY, Merpay
PAY.JP
Payment gateway
Developer-oriented Japanese payment API run by PAY, Inc., popular with startups and SaaS platforms that want simple card and wallet acceptance and recurring billing.
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay
KOMOJU
Payment gateway
Tokyo-based gateway run by Degica that helps domestic and foreign merchants, including many game and digital content sellers, accept Japanese local methods through a single integration.
Covers: Cards, Konbini, Pay-easy, Bank transfer, PayPay, Paidy, Merpay, Rakuten Pay, au PAY
