Shopify Payments for Japan
Businesses based in Japan can use Shopify Payments to accept JCB, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express debit and credit cards. You can also accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay.
Businesses in Japan can also accept payments using Bancontact, and iDEAL.
On this page
Requirements for Shopify Payments
Before you can use Shopify Payments in Japan, you need to understand the requirements that are in place to comply with regulations and to prevent financial crimes. This section explains why personal information is collected, the accepted types of documentation, and guidance for ensuring that your documentation meets the necessary criteria.
Business types
Some types of businesses and services aren't permitted to use Shopify Payments. To verify whether you can use Shopify Payments, check the list of Prohibited and Restricted Businesses for Shopify Payments Japan.
Bank accounts
Make sure that your bank account meets the following requirements before you connect it to Shopify Payments:
- The bank account is a Futsu account.
- The bank account is held with a bank in Japan.
- The bank account is in JPY currency.
Checking accounts that are set up to accept only wire transfers don't work with Shopify Payments. Savings accounts, flex-currency accounts, and money-transferring services that mimic bank accounts aren't supported by Shopify Payments. Although non-Shopify virtual accounts are supported, you can experience more payout failures with these accounts.
To confirm that your account can accept the transfer type listed for your region, contact your bank.
Compliance with the Specified Commercial Transactions Act of Japan
When using Shopify Payments in Japan, you're required to post a publicly accessible page according to the Specified Commercial Transactions Act (SCT). Customers need to be able to easily view and access this page. You're required to include in this page information about your business, and keep it up to date. Learn more about the Specified Commercial Transactions Act.
Purpose of collecting information
Shopify and its banking partners are required to collect and verify information about you and your business, to comply with regulations in Japan that are designed to prevent financial crimes. As local rules and regulations evolve, you can be contacted by Shopify and its banking partners to provide additional information throughout the lifespan of your Shopify Payments account.
The information that is collected is used to confirm the identity of the business, the identities of individuals linked to it, and the nature of the relationship between the two.
Shopify never physically mails documentation to you. Any important documents or communications are emailed, or made digitally available to the person listed as Account Owner of the store, in the Usuers section of the Settings menu in your Shopify admin.
Visit Shopify's Privacy Policy to learn how your information is kept confidential and safe.
Required information
You must correctly identify your business type because it determines the information that you need to provide.
If you don't have a Corporate Number, then select Individual. If you have a Corporate Number, then select from one of the other options according to your business structure. If you're unsure of your business structure, then contact the Tax Agency in Japan to confirm your business type.
If your business type isn't listed below, then contact Shopify Support for help with selecting the correct business type.
Individuals
- Legal first and last names in both Kanji and Kana
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Phone number
- Residential address in Japan
Ensure that your name, date of birth, and home address are accurate and that they match your government issued documentation. If your information can't be verified, then you're asked to update your name and date of birth to match your documentation, and you can be asked for photo ID. Review the list of acceptable photo ID documents.
You also need to provide a customer support phone number, and a customer bank account statement in Kanji, Kana, and Romaji. This information is what appears on bank account statements for your customers when they purchase from your store. Ensure you enter a legitimate phone number, and that your statement name matches the business name shown in your URL or your store name, so that it's clear to customers who the charge is from.
Corporations
Corporations must assign either a director or an executive with decision making power as their account representative. The account representative needs to provide the following information:
- Legal first and last names (in both Kanji and Kana)
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Phone number
- Residential address in Japan
- Job title
Ensure that your name, date of birth, and home address are accurate and that they match your government issued documentation. If your information can't be verified, then you're asked to update your name and date of birth to match your documentation, and you can be asked for photo ID. Review the list of acceptable photo ID documents.
Private companies also need to provide the following details about the business:
- Registered name (in both Kanji, Kana, and Romaji)
- Corporate number
- Business phone number
- Business address
If your business information can't be verified, then you can be asked to provide a business document. When providing this document, ensure that the registered name, corporate number, and business address listed in your account matches exactly with the information on the document. Update the information in your account to match the document if necessary. Review the list of acceptable business documents.
You also need to list any other people who are on your board of directors, and provide their names (in Kanji and Kana) and dates of birth. If their identities can't be verified automatically using the provided information, then they need to provide a photo ID.
Non-profits
NPOs must assign either a director or an executive with decision making power as their account representative. The account representative needs to provide the following information:
- Legal first and last names (in both Kanji and Kana)
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Phone number
- Residential address in Japan
- Job title
Ensure that your name, date of birth, and home address are accurate and that they match your government issued documentation. If your information can't be verified, then you're asked to update your name and date of birth to match your documentation, and you can be asked for photo ID. Review the list of acceptable photo ID documents.
NPOs must also provide the following details about the business:
- Registered name (in Kanji, Kana, and Romaji)
- Corporate number
- Business phone number
- Business address
If your business information can't be verified, then you can be asked to provide a business document. When providing this document, ensure that the registered name, corporate number, and business address listed in your account matches exactly with the information on the document. Update the information in your account to match the document if necessary. Review the list of acceptable business documents.
You also need to list any other people who are on your board of directors, and provide their names (in Kanji and Kana) and Dates of Birth. If their identities can't be verified automatically using the information provided, then they need to provide a photo ID.
Acceptable document types
The following information explains which documents you can use to verify your identity and business details.
Identity documents
The name and date of birth on your Shopify Payments account must be updated to match the information displayed in the identity document you're providing. The documents must be valid and mustn't be expired. The following documents are accepted as proof of identity:
- Japanese passport
- Japanese driver's license (Photos of the front and back are required)
- Japanese residence card
- "My Number" card with photo (マイナンバーカード (顔写真付き))
Business verification documents
Business documents are issued to you by the National Tax Agency in Japan when you apply for your Corporation Number. You need to update the registered name and corporate number on your account to match exactly what's displayed on your documentation. The following documents are accepted for business verification:
- Touki (登記謄本)
- Seal Registration Certificate (印鑑登録証明書)
Fees for Shopify Payments in Japan
Shopify Payments fees are location-dependent and can vary. To get the most accurate and detailed information regarding fees, visit the plans and pricing page for Japan. This page provides a breakdown of the rates and fees associated with Shopify Payments based on your selected plan.
View payment rates in your Shopify admin
If you're already a Shopify merchant, then you can access information about the specific rates and fees applicable to your store location and chosen plan.
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
In the Shopify Payments section, click Manage.
View the rates that apply to different payment methods.
Accepting payments
In most countries, when your business is a sole proprietorship you're automatically set up to accept all major payment methods as soon as you create your Shopify store with Shopify Payments activated. Your card rate is based on your store's Shopify subscription plan, and you can change plans whenever you want.
Businesses in Japan can accept JCB, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express debit and credit cards. Additionally, accepting JCB automatically lets you accept Discover and Diners Club.
Businesses in Japan can also accept payments using Bancontact, and iDEAL.
Shopify Payments is only available for online selling in Japan. You can't use Shopify Payments for in-person (POS) payment processing. To accept payments in person with Shopify POS, you must use an external card terminal with a third-party payment processor.
Pay periods
Your pay period refers to the amount of time between the moment that a customer's payment is captured and when those funds are sent to your bank account. The timestamp for capturing a customer's payment is recorded in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Payments captured on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are consolidated and sent as a single payment.
For businesses located in Japan, you can set your regular payout day on any day between Monday and Friday, and you can choose to be paid weekly or monthly.
The pay period is 5 days plus the number of days remaining until your payout day. For example, if your customer places an order in your store on a Wednesday, and your payout day is Friday, then the funds from that order are sent to your bank account on the Friday of the following week, 8 business days later. If your customer places an order in your store on a Sunday, then the funds from that order are sent to your bank account on the Friday of the same week, 5 business days later.
The minimum amount that can be paid out for Shopify Payments accounts in Japan is 5 JPY. If there's a payout for less than this amount, then the payout stays in pending state until more funds are available to pay out.
Learn more about getting paid with Shopify Payments.
Tax reporting
As a merchant, you're required to abide by all applicable regulations, including tax reporting. Depending on your jurisdiction, Shopify Payments can also be required to report your sales to the local tax authorities.