Will UPI Payments Soon Be Available for Indian Tourists in Japan?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- NIPL collaborates with NTT DATA Japan to enable UPI payments in Japan.
- UPI will enhance payment experiences for Indian tourists.
- Seamless payments will promote business growth for Japanese merchants.
- Over 208,000 Indian tourists visited Japan recently, highlighting demand.
- UPI aims to expand its reach globally, establishing trust.
New Delhi, Oct 14 (NationPress) NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the global arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NTT DATA Japan. This partnership marks a pivotal advancement towards the acceptance of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) within the Japanese market, aiming to enhance the payment experience for Indian travelers.
As part of this collaboration, NIPL and NTT DATA Japan will evaluate and work towards enabling UPI acceptance at merchant locations across Japan that are acquired by NTT DATA.
Implementing UPI will enable vendors in Japan to provide quicker checkouts, boost customer satisfaction, and promote business growth.
Ritesh Shukla, Managing Director & CEO of NPCI International, stated, “The MoU with NTT DATA establishes the groundwork for UPI acceptance in Japan. This collaboration is a crucial step in improving the digital payment experience for Indian travelers and simplifying cross-border transactions.”
He further emphasized the ambition to expand UPI's reach into more international markets, establishing it as one of the most reliable digital payment systems worldwide.
NTT DATA Japan, a key subsidiary of the NTT DATA Group, is a leading provider of IT and business services based in Tokyo, operating CAFIS, which is Japan’s largest card payment processing network.
The importance of this MoU is underscored by the fact that more than 208,000 Indian tourists traveled to Japan from January to August this year, reflecting a 36% increase compared to the same timeframe in 2024 (152,947 visitors).
Indian tourists will soon be able to utilize their popular UPI applications to scan QR codes and effortlessly make payments at merchant locations acquired by NTT DATA once UPI is introduced in Japan, according to NPCI.
“This partnership represents a significant milestone as we broaden payment options for incoming travelers from India,” said Masanori Kurihara, Head of Payments in Japan at NTT DATA.
“By launching this partnership for UPI acceptance in Japan, we aim to enhance the shopping and payment experience for Indian tourists while enabling Japanese merchants to seize new opportunities,” he added.