Traveling to Japan? Soon, Your UPI App Will Be All You Need
Starting April 1, 2026, Indian travelers in Japan can use UPI for QR code payments from Indian bank accounts, simplifying travel without currency conversion.
Imagine you are in Japan, wandering through the busy streets of Tokyo. After a day of sightseeing, you stop by a vending machine, a ramen restaurant, or a convenience store to grab a quick snack, or just to buy a souvenir. In moments like these, the one concern that often crosses your mind is how to pay. Do you have enough yen?
And if you choose to pay using a forex card, how much money will ultimately be deducted due to exchange rates and additional charges?
However, a new announcement signals an important shift, and marks the time to let go of those anxious and second guessing thoughts.
A newly announced partnership between National Payments Corporation Of India (NPCI) and Japan’s NTT data has formed a new agreement, aimed at expanding and strengthening currency systems between India and Japan.
Thereupon, Indians would have the facility to use their UPI (Unified Payments Interface) Ids to carry on their expenditure activities in Japan. This enables Indian users to make their payments, using their mobile phones through familiar UPI apps such as Phone Pay , Google Pay and BHIM. By simply scanning a QR code, funds will be transferred directly from the user's Indian bank account to the merchant.
The initiative comes in response to the recent increase in numbers of Indian travelers visiting Japan. UPI’s trial launch this year aims to make payments seamless and cost effective, and eliminating additional convenience fees, the need for forex cards, and the hassles of currency exchange.
However, does this development represent a milestone?
Yes it does, tracing back to its origins, UPI was launched in 2016, under the Digital India initiative with the main objective of introducing digital payments. Since then, it has revolutionized the digital economy and transformed the way financial transactions are conducted.
But UPI’s have not been confined to India alone, and have expanded steadily into global markets. Currently, UPI is accepted in eight countries, that includes France, Singapore, the UAE , Qatar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Bhutan. With Japan set to be another addition to this list..
The Trial Rollout is set to begin from April 1 , 2026 and will continue until March 31, 2027. During this period Indian travelers visiting Japan will be able to use their existing UPI applications at certain selected restaurants, retail stores, and other tourist services. Hence, the payments will be directly debited from an Indian user’s bank account, ensuring a secure, and transparent transaction process without the need for local currency or a forex card.
The article has been written by Nag Adithya, an intern at Deccan Chronicle
