UPI Payments in Japan: Cashless Journeys for Indian Tourists

Indian tourists visiting Japan will soon find their travel experience more convenient as they gain the ability to make UPI payments in Japan. The National Payments Corporation of India’s international arm, NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NTT DATA Japan to enable Indian visitors to pay at Japanese merchants using their Unified Payments Interface (UPI) apps.

UPI Payments: A Landmark Move for Indian Travellers

The agreement, finalized on 7 October 2025, will allow merchants acquired by NTT DATA to accept UPI-based transactions. This means Indian tourists can simply scan QR codes on their mobile devices to complete purchases, reducing reliance on cash, credit cards, or forex cards during their stay.

Masanori Kurihara, Head of Payments at NTT DATA Japan, emphasized the importance of this initiative, saying, “The introduction of UPI payments in Japan means Indian tourists will be able to shop more conveniently, while Japanese merchants will be able to capture new business opportunities.”

Strengthening India–Japan Tourism and Trade

The initiative comes at a time when Japan is witnessing record numbers of Indian travellers. From January to August 2025, over 208,000 Indian tourists visited Japan, according to industry reports. By bringing UPI payments in Japan, NPCI and NTT DATA aim to boost Japan’s tourism ecosystem while giving Indian visitors the comfort of using a familiar and secure payment system abroad.

Notably, this marks the first expansion of UPI services in East Asia, further strengthening the global presence of India’s homegrown digital payment network. Indian tourists can already use UPI in several destinations including France, Singapore, the UAE, Qatar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bhutan, and Peru.

UPI Payments: Japan’s Digital Payment Backbone Joins Hands with UPI

NTT DATA Japan manages CAFIS, the nation’s largest card payment processing network, which connects merchants, banks, and ATMs. Once integrated, UPI transactions are expected to be processed seamlessly across Japanese retail outlets, offering Indian travellers a cashless, hassle-free shopping experience.

UPI’s Global Rise

Launched in 2016, UPI has redefined digital payments in India by making real-time peer-to-peer and merchant transactions accessible to millions. In September 2025 alone, India recorded 19.63 billion UPI transactions worth ₹24.9 trillion, underscoring its massive adoption and reliability.

RuPay–JCB Partnership Adds More Value

Alongside the UPI initiative, NPCI’s global card payment network RuPay has partnered with Japan’s JCB International to provide extra benefits for travellers. RuPay JCB cardholders will receive 25% cashback on point-of-sale transactions across Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines until 31 December 2025.

Kunal Kalawatia, Chief of Products and Marketing at NPCI, highlighted, “With the festive and year-end holiday season being one of the busiest times for international travel, our special cashback program ensures greater savings and convenience for our cardholders abroad.”

What This Means for Indian Tourists

With UPI payments in Japan, Indian tourists can look forward to:

• Hassle-free payments by scanning QR codes at Japanese merchants.

• Reduced dependency on cash and forex cards.

• A seamless, secure, and familiar payment experience while travelling.

• Extra savings with RuPay JCB card cashback offers.

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