Indian travellers visiting Japan may soon be able to use digital payments as NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NTT DATA Japan.
The agreement sets the stage for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) acceptance across Japanese merchant locations, offering a convenient payment experience for Indians abroad.
NTT DATA Japan, a subsidiary of the NTT DATA Group, operates CAFIS®, Japan’s largest card payment processing network connecting acquirers, issuers, merchants, and ATMs nationwide.
Under the MoU, NIPL and NTT DATA Japan will explore integrating UPI across merchants acquired by NTT DATA.
Once implemented, Indian tourists will be able to pay by scanning QR codes using their preferred UPI apps, eliminating the need for cash or foreign card transactions.
Between January and August 2025, more than 208,000 Indian visitors travelled to Japan—a 36% increase over the same period in 2024. This surge stresses the growing demand for familiar and secure payment methods among Indian travellers, while offering Japanese merchants a chance to capture new business.
Ritesh Shukla, MD & CEO of NPCI International, said, “The MoU with NTT DATA lays the foundation for enabling UPI acceptance in Japan. This partnership is an important step toward improving the digital payment experience for Indian travellers and simplifying cross-border payments.”
Masanori Kurihara, Head of Payments, NTT DATA Japan, added, “By introducing UPI acceptance in Japan, we aim to make shopping and payments more convenient for Indian tourists, while helping Japanese merchants capture new opportunities.”
First Published: Oct 14, 2025 1:01 PM IST
AloJapan.com