Costs · 6 min read
How to open a bank account in Japan as an SSW worker
Without a Japanese bank account, you cannot receive your salary, pay utility bills automatically, or use most remittance services. Your employer needs your bank account details from your first week — often before your first payday. The good news is that the most accessible option for SSW workers, Japan Post Bank, is available at post offices across the country including rural areas, accepts new arrivals with limited Japanese, and can be opened within days of completing your city hall residence registration. Knowing the steps in advance means one less obstacle during an already busy first week.
Before you can open an account: city hall registration first
You must register your address at the local city or town hall (市区町村役所) before any bank will accept your application. This registration updates your residence card (在留カード) with your Japanese address and creates your entry in the local population registry (住民票). Most banks require either your address-updated residence card or a copy of your 住民票 (jūminhyō, residence certificate) as proof that you actually live at the address you list on the application.
City hall registration should happen within 14 days of moving into your accommodation in Japan. Bring your residence card and your accommodation address. If your employer or sending organization has arranged company housing, they should provide this address before you travel or on arrival. Once registered, your residence card is stamped or updated — this updated card is your key document for banking.
Some city halls have foreign language support on designated days. If your Japanese is limited, ask your employer or sending organization support contact to accompany you or to let you know which day English or Vietnamese assistance is available.
Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行): the most accessible option for new arrivals
Japan Post Bank is the most consistently accessible banking option for newly arrived SSW workers. Post offices are found in every part of Japan — including rural agricultural and manufacturing towns that may not have a branch of any city bank. The bank accepts residence card holders who have completed address registration, regardless of how long they have been in Japan.
Documents you need: your residence card (with your current address already registered on it), and your personal seal (認め印, mitomein) if you have one — though many post offices accept a signature in place of a seal for this account type. Some locations also ask for a second form of ID such as your passport.
The account type you want is a regular savings account (通常貯金, tsūjō chochiku). This is a standard deposit account that your employer can transfer your salary into and that you can use for bill payments and remittances. The account comes with a cash card (キャッシュカード) for ATM use, mailed to your registered address within one to two weeks.
Language note: Post office banking staff vary in English ability. Bring the account opening form filled in beforehand if possible, or show a translation of what you need. Some larger post offices have multilingual counters. The form asks for your name, address, date of birth, phone number, and the purpose of the account (give 給与受取, kyūyo uketori — salary receipt — as the purpose).
Convenience store and digital bank options
If you live near a convenience store chain, several digital bank options are linked to them. 7-Bank (セブン銀行), operated through 7-Eleven, offers basic accounts that can be opened online or via ATM. The process is in Japanese but is menu-driven. 7-Bank accounts are primarily used for cash access at ATMs — they are less commonly used for salary receipt, though some employers can arrange it.
Rakuten Bank (楽天銀行) and Sony Bank are online banks that accept residence card holders with a Japanese address. These banks offer good exchange rates and are often recommended for remittances. However, the application is entirely in Japanese and requires a smartphone with Japanese carrier verification in some cases. They are best suited for workers who have been in Japan for a few months and want a second account for savings or international transfers, rather than as a first account for salary receipt.
Shinsei Bank (新生銀行) has historically been more accessible to foreign residents than major city banks, with English-language support and no minimum balance requirements. It offers online and branch account opening. If your Japanese is limited and you want an English-friendly option, Shinsei is worth considering as a supplement to Japan Post Bank.
What to do if a bank refuses your application
Some Japanese banks — particularly major city banks like Mizuho, MUFG, and SMBC — have historically applied informal policies that required foreign residents to have been in Japan for six months or more before opening an account. This is not an official legal requirement, but it has been common practice. If you are in your first few months and a city bank refuses you, this is the most likely reason.
The practical response: open your Japan Post Bank account first (which does not have this restriction), use it for salary receipt, and consider a city bank or online bank later once you have been in Japan longer and have a stable address history.
Your employer cannot legally force you to use any specific bank or hold your wages in an employer-controlled account. Your salary must be paid to a bank account in your own name. If your employer says your wages will be held 'until you open an account' or requires you to receive wages in cash from them rather than by bank transfer, ask your support contact for clarification. Japanese law (労働基準法, Labor Standards Act) requires wages to be paid directly to the worker.
Sharing account details safely with your employer
Once your account is open, you will need to provide your bank account details (口座情報, kōza jōhō) to your employer's payroll department. You will need to give: the bank name, branch name and branch number (支店番号), account type (普通 futsū for regular savings), and account number (口座番号).
All of this is printed on your bank book (通帳, tsūchō) if you received one, or available in your bank's app or online portal. Your cash card alone does not show account details — use the bank book or log into your online account.
Your employer's HR or administration contact will usually give you a form to fill in. This is standard and expected. Complete it promptly so your first salary is not delayed.
Do not share your bank card PIN or internet banking password with your employer, sending organization, or anyone else. Only share the account details (bank name, branch, account number) — not your password or card.
Setting up automatic bill payments (口座振替)
Once you have a bank account, you can set up automatic payments (口座振替, kōza furikae) for recurring bills — utility bills, phone, and health insurance contributions if they are billed directly. This is standard practice in Japan and prevents missed payments.
Your employer or the building management of your company housing may handle some of these deductions directly from your wage. Check your first payslip carefully — see the guide on reading your Japanese payslip — to understand what is being deducted at source versus what you need to pay separately.
For bills you receive in the mail, you can pay them at any convenience store (the slip has a barcode) until you set up automatic transfer. Convenience store payment does not require a bank account. Once you have a Japan Post Bank account and an account number, setting up 口座振替 for recurring bills reduces the chance of accidentally missing a payment during busy weeks.
Red flags around banking
Be cautious if your sending organization or an unofficial contact offers to 'help' you open a bank account by accompanying you and handling the paperwork — then asks to hold your card or passbook. Your bank card, passbook, and PIN belong to you alone. No employer, sending organization, or support contact has any legitimate reason to hold these.
Account selling (口座売買) is a serious crime in Japan. If anyone asks you to open a bank account and hand over the card 'for their use' in exchange for money, refuse immediately. Workers who are discovered to have sold or given away accounts face criminal penalties regardless of whether they knew the account was being used for fraud.
Your employer cannot ask you to use a company-controlled bank account. Wages must go to an account in your own name. This is protected by Japanese labor law.
Key takeaway
For most SSW workers, Japan Post Bank is the right first account — it is available everywhere in Japan, accepts new arrivals who have completed city hall registration, and can receive your salary from the first month. Open it in your first week, provide the account details to your employer promptly, and keep your card and passbook in your own possession. Once you are settled, online banks like Shinsei or Wise offer better rates for remittances and savings. Having a bank account in your own name, under your own control, is a basic condition of financial independence in Japan.