SWIFT/BIC codes in Japan: banks starting with Y

Finding a SWIFT code in Japan

In Japan we have 712 SWIFT/BIC codes. You will need a SWIFT/BIC code mainly for international transfers.

Every bank has its own page with its main code and, where available, branch codes. The rest of this page explain the structure of the codes, the cost of transfers and the checks worth doing.

What the letters in a Japan BIC mean

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. Characters one to four identify the bank, the fifth and sixth characters form the country code and characters seven and eight give the location.

Whatever the bank, every code from Japan have the same fifth and sixth letters. Codes with other letters in that position belong to a bank abroad – a quick way to catch mistakes.

When a code ends in XXX, it means the head office, and the 8-character version leads to the same place. Use a branch code just if the recipient explicitly gives you one – otherwise stick with the head office.

What a sender needs to pay you in Japan

For an international payment in Japan, the sender needs more than the SWIFT code. That means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and, often, your address.

The code of your bank appears in the list on this page but always compare it with your own bank details. You can include your bank’s name and city as well.

What lands in your account is often less than what was sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin comes on top. For business payments, state who bears the costs.

Banks in Japan starting with :letter

You are looking at a filtered list: only banks in Japan whose name begins with :letter. The totals mentioned above always refer to the whole country.

If a bank does not appear under :letter, check the full list: banks are often registered under their full legal name. Try the full list for Japan when you do not know how the name is spelled.

About our data and how to check a code

The best place to find the right code is a document from the bank itself. If the code you have does not match our list, stop and ask.

The directory on GoldexPay is compiled from public sources. Even so, banks merge, rename themselves or change codes and our data may lag behind. For a payment that matters, check the BIC with the recipient. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Scammers often send payment requests carrying changed bank details that look completely genuine. A valid BIC says nothing about whether a request is genuine.

Tracking a payment to Japan

There is no fixed delivery time for transfers to Japan: many arrive the same day or the next, others take several business days. Public holidays in Japan or in the sending country add extra days.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every gpi transfer gets a unique reference, the UETR. Specialist transfer services often show tracking in their app, which makes it easier to see where the money is.

Most SWIFT codes in Japan: Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ufj, LTD., The

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ufj, LTD., The tops our list for Japan when it comes to the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. Its head office code is BOTKJPJTXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

How many codes a bank has tells you something about how it organises its payments than about how big it is. Making a payment to Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ufj, LTD., The? Use BOTKJPJTXXX except when a specific branch code is requested.

Paying a bank in Japan from abroad

Because Japan does not belong to SEPA, an international payment normally goes as a SWIFT payment. This means the payment always needs the BIC of the recipient’s bank.

Depending on the country, accounts are identified by a domestic account number instead of an IBAN and sometimes a local routing or branch code. The recipient’s bank usually provides instructions for payments from abroad, and it is worth following them to the letter. SWIFT payments can pass through correspondent banks, each of which may deduct a fee.

Bank or transfer service for Japan?

If you transfer money to Japan with your bank, the stated fee is only part of what you pay. Besides a fixed fee, intermediary banks may take a cut, and when the money is converted the bank often uses a rate below the actual market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. An easy check: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service is less expensive than a bank, mainly because of the rate. Before your next transfer to Japan, take a minute to compare the total cost on GoldexPay.

Japan and the Japanese Yen

The currency of Japan is the Japanese Yen (JPY). If you send another currency, it gets converted somewhere along the way: by your bank, an intermediary or the receiving bank.

Who does the conversion has an effect on how much arrives. Often it is cheaper if you send JPY straight away through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. With bigger transfers, even a small difference in the rate adds up quickly.