Payment methods in Japan

Asia

10methods

17banks

In 2022, 13% of all retail purchase in Japan were made online and were worth US$200 billion - rising to US295 billion by 2027.

Market takeaways

In 2022, 13% of all retail purchase in Japan were made online and were worth US$200 billion - rising to US295 billion by 2027.
Popular digital payment methods in Japan include PayEasy and Konbibi. Surprisingly, consumers still pay for 8% of online transactions with cash.
Japanese shoppers complete 39% of all online purchases using a mobile device, up from just 27% as recently as 2020.
Seventy-six percent of Japanese have a credit card, but online shoppers use cards in just 64% of all transactions.
Almost a third of Japanese shoppers buy from overseas merchants, spending more than US$30 billion in 2022.

Population

125.0M

Online population

117.5M

B2C e-commerce

$181B

Banked population

99%

Credit card population

76%

E-commerce of total retail

13%

Payment method breakdown

Card64%
Cash8%
Bank Transfer7%
E-Wallet12%
Other8%

Card scheme breakdown

Visa33%
Mastercard21%
American Express2%
Local schemes44%
Other0%

Cross-border e-commerce

Cross-border shoppers

31%

Share of e-commerce

17%

Cross-border value (est.)

$31B

Featured payment methods in Japan

Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.

PayPay

Japan's leading QR-code mobile wallet used at over 10 million merchant locations and online. Operator: PayPay Corporation (SoftBank). Est. users: 70 million registered users (2025).

LINE Pay

Mobile wallet integrated into the LINE messaging app for online and in-store payments in Japan and Taiwan. Operator: LY Corporation / LINE Pay Corporation. Est. users: 40 million+ users (2024).

Rakuten Pay

Rakuten's QR and online payment service tied to its Rakuten Points ecosystem. Operator: Rakuten Payment, Inc.. Est. users: 19% QR market share (2024).

Merpay

Mercari's mobile payment service letting marketplace balances be spent online and in-store. Operator: Merpay, Inc. (Mercari Group). Est. users: Several million users (2024).

au PAY

KDDI's QR-code mobile wallet integrated with the au telecom ecosystem and Ponta points. Operator: KDDI Corporation / au Payment Co., Ltd.. Est. users: 11% QR market share (2024).

Suica

JR East's contactless stored-value transit card also accepted as a mobile wallet online and at retail. Operator: East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Est. users: 90 million+ cards issued (2024).

All payment methods in Japan

Discover 10 payment methods from around the world

Showing 10 of 10 payment methods

Featured banks in Japan

Major institutions operating in this market.

JPMorgan Chase

New York, United States

JPMorgan Chase is the largest US bank and one of the world's largest financial institutions, offering consumer banking, investment banking, commercial banking, and asset management globally.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

Beijing, China

ICBC is the world's largest bank by total assets and the largest of China's 'Big Four' state-owned banks. It offers retail, corporate, and investment banking globally.

Citigroup (Citi)

New York, United States

Citigroup (Citi) is a global diversified financial services holding company, operating in 160+ countries. It is known for its institutional banking, treasury services, and consumer banking across emerging markets.

MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)

Tokyo, Japan

MUFG is Japan's largest bank and one of the world's largest financial groups, offering retail, corporate, investment, and trust banking globally.

Bank of America

Charlotte, United States

Bank of America is the second-largest US bank by assets, providing consumer banking, wealth management (Merrill Lynch), and global banking and markets services worldwide.

Bank of China (BOC)

Beijing, China

Bank of China is China's most internationally active bank, specialising in foreign exchange and cross-border trade finance. It is one of the Big Four state-owned banks.