Banking in Japan as an American: getting an account when you're a US person

Yes, you can open a Japanese bank account with a US passport. You'll just sign a W-9, show a residence card and, at some banks, wait out your first six months.

The short version

• You need a residence card (zairyu card) and a registered Tokyo address. Tourists can't open regular accounts.
• Some banks treat newcomers as "non-residents" for their first six months unless you work for a Japanese employer. Japan Post Bank is the usual first stop because it looks at the card, not the calendar [1][2].
• Every bank asks if you're a US person. Americans sign a Form W-9, and the bank reports your account to the IRS under FATCA [3][4].
• Many banks still use a hanko (personal seal), but some take a signature, and app-based accounts may not need one at all [1][2].
• Japan doesn't excuse you from US reporting. Japanese accounts count toward the FBAR and Form 8938 thresholds [5].

Where we convert yen, USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = JPY 157.47) [6].

Why opening an account takes longer than back home

In the States you can open a checking account over lunch with a driver's license and a Social Security number. Japan is more cautious, especially with new arrivals.

Three things slow Americans down:

1. The six-month rule. Under Japan's foreign exchange rules, a foreigner who has been in Japan for less than six months is generally treated as a non-resident, unless they work for an office in Japan. Some banks will only offer that person a limited "non-resident yen deposit" account, with no ATM card, no automatic debits for rent or utilities and limited overseas transfers [2]. A 2024 white paper from a foreign-resident advocacy group called the rule a barrier for students, freelancers, retirees and remote workers [7]. Not every bank applies it, and a letter or contract from a Japanese employer usually gets you past it.
2. Your US status. Japanese banks are FATCA partners, so they must spot US persons and report them. A US birthplace in your passport is enough to trigger the question [3].
3. Paperwork in Japanese. Forms, phone menus and branch staff are mostly in Japanese, though this has improved.

If you arrive on a work visa, ask your HR team which bank they use for payroll. Many Tokyo employers have a branch they send every new hire to, and that branch knows the drill.

Where Americans usually bank

Japan Post Bank

Japan Post Bank is the default "first account" for a lot of new arrivals. Its app lets you apply from your phone in about 15 to 20 minutes if your phone has NFC to read the chip in your residence card, and screening takes about a week [1]. What it asks:

• your residence card, showing your current address, with more than three months before it expires
• a student ID or proof of enrollment if you're a student
• your country of tax residence and, if your nationality or tax country is the US, your US taxpayer ID number [1]

The app opens a passbook-free account. Seal registration is optional and done later at a counter. By default the app limits online transfers to JPY 50,000 a day (about USD 320), which you can raise to JPY 500,000 (about USD 3,200) [1]. You'll also be asked whether you plan to send money abroad, and cash deposits or withdrawals of more than JPY 2 million (about USD 12,700) at a time need extra explanation [1].

Online banks

Online banks are great once you're settled: low fees, decent apps and ATM access at convenience stores. Sony Bank is the one most often recommended to English speakers because its account opening, website, app and chat support all work in English [8]. Like every Japanese bank, it will send you a W-9 if anything in your application suggests you're a US person, and it won't open the account until you return it [4].

FATCA: the W-9 is coming

FATCA (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) is the 2010 US law that asks banks worldwide to report accounts held by Americans. Japan's banks comply.

What it means in practice:

• US citizens fill out a W-9 with their Social Security number. Green card holders and people who meet the US day-count test may be asked for a W-9 or a W-8BEN [3].
• The bank reports to the IRS each year: your name, address, account number, taxpayer ID, balance and interest [3].
• No form, no account. SBI Shinsei says it won't open an account without the forms, and Sony Bank says refusing FATCA checks gets a new application denied [3][4].
• The bank won't give you tax advice. Sony Bank tells customers to ask a tax professional whether FATCA applies to them [4].

Have your Social Security number handy before you go to the branch. If you never had one, sort that out first; it's very hard to bank as an American without it.

Your own US filings

The bank's reporting doesn't replace yours. Uncle Sam still wants:

• The FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) if the combined value of your foreign accounts tops USD 10,000 at any time in the calendar year. It's filed online through FinCEN's BSA E-Filing System, due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15 [5].
• Form 8938 with your tax return if you live abroad and your foreign financial assets exceed USD 200,000 on the last day of the year or USD 300,000 at any time (single), or USD 400,000 and USD 600,000 for married couples filing jointly [5].

A US expat tax preparer can check your situation, especially if you also hold Japanese investment funds.

Hanko, signatures and My Number

The hanko

A hanko (also called an inkan) is a small personal seal stamped in red ink. Most traditional banks still use one to confirm your identity on forms, although some accept a signature and a few don't need a seal to open an account [2]. At Japan Post Bank, seal registration is optional and done after the account is open [1].

If you need one, stamp shops all over Tokyo can make a seal with your name in katakana or roman letters, often within the day. Keep it somewhere safe; it works a lot like your signature card back home.

Your My Number

Your My Number (Individual Number) is your 12-digit ID for tax and social security, assigned when you register your address at the ward office. Banks need it for certain transactions. SBI Shinsei lists overseas remittances, incoming transfers from abroad and investment accounts among the transactions that require it [9]. Seven Bank requires every customer of its international money transfer service to register theirs [10].

Banks can also link your My Number to your deposit accounts and register an account for government payments, under two separate laws [9]. Japan Post Bank's app can't do that step, so you'd do it at a counter [1].

Moving money between the US and Japan

Most Americans keep at least one US checking account and move money across as needed. Your options:

1. International wire from your US bank. Reliable, but you'll pay a sending fee, a receiving fee in Japan and an exchange spread.
2. Your Japanese bank's remittance service. Sony Bank and SBI Shinsei offer foreign-currency remittances [8][9]. You'll register your My Number and may be asked the purpose of each transfer.
3. Online money-transfer services. Popular with expats for smaller amounts because their exchange rates are often better than a bank's. Most require a Japanese bank account and My Number on the Japan side.
4. US cards at Japanese ATMs. Seven Bank ATMs in 7-Eleven stores and Japan Post Bank ATMs generally accept foreign cards, which is handy before your local account is open. Check your US bank's foreign ATM fee.

Before you leave the States, keep a US address and a US phone number your bank can reach, since some US banks close accounts when they see a foreign address.

A step-by-step plan for your first month

1. Collect your residence card at the airport and register your address at your ward office within 14 days.
2. Get your My Number letter at that address.
3. Apply for a Japan Post Bank account through the app, or ask your employer which bank handles payroll.
4. Fill out the W-9 the bank gives you, using your Social Security number.
5. Set up a phone number in your name. Banks, delivery companies and apps all use it.
6. After a few months, add an online bank with English support if you want lower fees.
7. Calendar your FBAR for April 15 and your US return for June 15, the automatic extension date for Americans abroad.

Want tips from people who opened accounts last month? Ask in our community group for Americans in Japan.

Sources

1. Japan Post Bank: Account opening app guide for foreign residents (PDF)
2. Study in Japan (JASSO): Opening a bank account
3. SBI Shinsei Bank: Request to customers concerning FATCA
4. Sony Bank: FATCA notice
5. IRS: Comparison of Form 8938 and FBAR requirements
6. Federal Reserve: H.10 foreign exchange rates
7. Into Japan: Getting past Japan's foreign resident banking barrier (2024)
8. Sony Bank: English online banking launch (2020)
9. SBI Shinsei Bank: Individual Number (My Number)
10. Seven Bank: My Number for international money transfer customers

Keep reading

• Your residence card and My Number in Tokyo
• Japanese taxes for Americans: how they fit with your US return
• FBAR: reporting your foreign bank accounts
• Sending money between the US and abroad