Your salary, rent and utilities all want a Japanese bank account, but banks screen new arrivals unevenly — some enforce a six-month-residence preference, others open accounts on day one. The winning order is usually Japan Post Bank or an online bank first, a megabank later, with your residence card, registered address and a Japanese phone number as the non-negotiable inputs.
Key facts
- Must-have documents
- Residence card + registered address + phone
- Friendliest early options
- Japan Post Bank (yūcho), online banks
- Megabanks
- Often easier after 6 months
- Employer requirement
- Some specify the salary bank
- Hanko (seal)
- Sometimes required — ¥1,000+ to make
The main banks at a glance (2026)
| Name | Features | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ゆうちょ銀行 (Japan Post Bank) | Opens soon after arrival; overseas remittance restricted for the first 6 months · Most branches and ATMs in Japan, the default first stop | Official site |
| セブン銀行 (Seven Bank) | Multilingual account-opening app (EN·CN·VI·ID and more) · An ATM in every 7-Eleven, built-in international transfer service | Official site |
| 楽天銀行 (Rakuten Bank) | Online-only, opens by app · No monthly fee, cheap transfers, Rakuten point ecosystem | Official site |
| 住信SBIネット銀行 (SBI Net Bank) | Online-only · Tiered free ATM and transfer allowances each month, polished app (Japanese) | Official site |
| ソニー銀行 (Sony Bank) | Full English online banking · Strong foreign-currency features and Visa debit | Official site |
| SMBC信託銀行 PRESTIA | English service from counter to app · ¥2,200 monthly fee, waived above balance thresholds | Official site |
| 三菱UFJ · 三井住友 · みずほ | Much smoother after 6 months of residence · Some employers require them for payroll; needed for mortgages | Official site |
The order that works
Day one to month six, the practical sequence is — Japan Post Bank (yūcho), present everywhere with light screening; or an online bank with a multilingual app if your phone and address are already set. After six months of residence, megabanks open with less friction, useful for mortgages and some employers’ payroll preferences. Everything depends on three inputs from your first week: the residence card, the registered address behind it, and a Japanese phone number.
What screening is really checking
Banks screen for money-laundering risk, not nationality — but the proxies they use (residence length, employment proof, reachable phone) fall hardest on new arrivals. The counterplay is completeness: bring the employment contract or student ID, know your address in writing, answer the phone. A payslip history after your first month turns most rejections into approvals on the second attempt.
Running the account without tripping alarms
Two habits prevent the classic freezes: announce large foreign transfers before they arrive, and keep your registered address current — mail returned from an old address is how accounts get suspended. When you eventually send money home, the bank’s own international transfer is rarely the cheapest route — but the account is still the anchor every remittance service verifies against.
The order that works
| When | The pick |
|---|---|
| Week one | Japan Post or Seven Bank — densest branches, lightest screening; get an account that can receive salary first |
| Within month one | Rakuten Bank or SBI Net Bank as the daily driver — no fee, cheap transfers, everything in-app |
| English first | Sony Bank (free) or PRESTIA (English counters, watch the fee conditions) |
| After month six | The megabanks, only when payroll designation or a mortgage forces you — screening friction is largely gone by then |
The table reflects the 2024–2025 market; policies and fees change, confirm on the official site before signing up.
Japanese you will use on this page (tap ▶)
| 口座を開設したいです。 Kōza o kaisetsu shitai desu. I would like to open an account. | |
| キャッシュカードをなくしました。 Kyasshu kādo o nakushimashita. I lost my cash card. | |
| 海外送金をしたいです。 Kaigai sōkin o shitai desu. I would like to send money overseas. | |
| 暗証番号を忘れました。 Anshō bangō o wasuremashita. I forgot my PIN. | |
| 手数料はいくらですか。 Tesūryō wa ikura desu ka. How much is the fee? | |
| 在留カードはこれです。 Zairyū kādo wa kore desu. Here is my residence card. |
Audio synthesized with VOICEVOX:Meimei Himari at standard pace for shadowing; real conversations run faster and carry accents.
Common mistakes & warnings
- Never lend, rent or sell your bank account or cash card — accounts recruited from foreigners are a documented money-laundering channel, and the criminal liability lands on the account holder. Offers to "buy your account when you leave Japan" are crime, not convenience.
- Tell the bank before any big incoming transfer from abroad — unexplained international deposits are the classic trigger for account freezes while compliance reviews run.
- Close or empty accounts before leaving Japan permanently — dormant accounts complicate later remittances and can be frozen under anti-abuse rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is the six-month rule?
Under FX law, some banks treat residents of less than six months as non-residents, limiting them to restricted accounts. Japan Post Bank and several online banks apply lighter screening, which is why the recommended order starts there.
Which bank should my salary go to?
Ask your employer first — some companies specify or prefer a bank for payroll. Otherwise choose for ATM coverage near home and work, English/multilingual app support, and low transfer fees; you can hold a second account for savings.
Do I need a hanko seal?
Increasingly no — signatures work at most banks and online banks skip it entirely. Traditional branches may still want one; a basic seal costs about ¥1,000 and takes a day to make.
Official sources
This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration rules change; always confirm details with the official sources listed above before making decisions.