“The bank told me to come back after 6 months in Japan.”
“My salary starts next week — and I still have no account.”
“Nobody at the branch spoke my language.”
If any of these sounds like you, this page gives you the answer in the next 60 seconds. Life Hack Japan is run by Omotenashi BIP, an organization that supports foreign workers living in Japan every day — so this ranking is based on which banks actually say yes to foreign residents, not on advertising money.
Your answer in 10 seconds
| Your situation | Open this account |
|---|---|
| Just arrived (less than 6 months) | 🥇 Seven Bank — no residence-period wall, 9 languages |
| Use Rakuten Mobile / shop on Rakuten | 🥈 Rakuten Bank — points cut your living costs |
| Send money home every month | 🥉 SBI Sumishin Net Bank — remittance at less than half megabank cost |
| Want cash bonuses / foreign currency | SBI Shinsei Bank |
| Want face-to-face help at a counter | Japan Post Bank (Yucho) |
👉 Open a Seven Bank account now — free, online, about 10 minutes, residence card only.
🖋️ Supervised by: Kumiai Nakagawa
Want the reasons behind each pick, the fees, and the traps that get applications rejected? Keep reading — it takes 5 minutes and can save you tens of thousands of yen a year.
Why foreigners get rejected (and the 3 rules that prevent it)
Most rejections have nothing to do with you personally. They happen because of three fixable mistakes:
- Rule 1: Match the bank to your residence period. Rakuten, SBI Sumishin and SBI Shinsei generally require 6+ months in Japan. Apply earlier and you will be rejected. Under 6 months → Seven Bank or Japan Post Bank. And one thing first: you need a residence card — tourists and short-term visitors cannot open a Japanese bank account at all.
- Rule 2: Use your Japanese address, exactly as registered. Writing a home-country address, or an address that differs from your residence card, is an instant rejection.
- Rule 3: Submit a clean photo of your residence card. Blurry photos are the most common technical rejection. Shoot both sides, in focus, on a plain background.
Bonus: if you share an address with housemates, a second application from the same address can be flagged — register your household separately at city hall first.
The full comparison
| Bank | Residence requirement | Languages | ATM network | Overseas remittance | Online application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Seven Bank | None (under 1 year OK) | 9 languages | ★★★★★ (28,000+ in 7-Eleven) | △ | ◎ |
| 🥈 Rakuten Bank | 6 months+ | English, Chinese | ★★★★☆ | ○ | ◎ |
| 🥉 SBI Sumishin Net Bank | 6 months+ | English | ★★★★☆ | ◎ cheapest class | ◎ |
| SBI Shinsei Bank | 6 months+ | English | ★★★☆☆ | ○ | ◎ |
| Japan Post Bank | None (flexible) | English, Chinese (some counters) | ★★★★★ | △ | △ |
💡 The strongest strategy is combining accounts by purpose: salary into Rakuten Bank, remittance from SBI Sumishin, daily cash from Seven Bank ATMs. We show the best combos below.
The 2026 ranking — and exactly who each bank is for
🥇 #1 Seven Bank — open an account within days of arriving
Why it wins:
- No 6-month wall. You can apply with less than 1 year — even weeks — of residence. For newcomers this is the single most important spec.
- 9 languages, including Vietnamese, Tagalog, Indonesian, Thai, Portuguese and Spanish — not just English and Chinese.
- Your ATM is the nearest 7-Eleven. 28,000+ machines, 24 hours, everywhere from Tokyo to farm towns — and you can even apply for the account at the ATM itself.
Verdict: if you arrived recently and need to receive salary, stop comparing — this is your first account. Add others later.
Weak point: overseas remittance costs more than SBI Sumishin. Heavy senders should add a second account after 6 months (see #3).
⚠️ Before you apply: your residence card needs 3+ months of validity left. Seven Bank also says new-design residence cards issued on or after June 14, 2026 cannot be used for applications for now — if that is you, check the official site for updates or consider Japan Post Bank (#5).
👉 Open Seven Bank online — free / ~10 minutes / residence card only.
🥈 #2 Rakuten Bank — turn your living costs into points
Why it ranks #2:
- Receive your salary here and get 3 free transfers to other banks the following month. ATM fees are free 3 times a month for your first 2 months, then based on your usage rank.
- Combine Rakuten Bank + Rakuten Mobile + Rakuten Card and points multiply up to 16x. On 30,000 yen/month of Rakuten spending, that is roughly 36,000 yen worth of points per year — an effective discount on rent-level costs.
- The debit card is a Visa: use it online and overseas immediately, no credit screening.
Verdict: the best “main account” once you pass 6 months in Japan — especially if your phone is (or will be) Rakuten Mobile.
Weak point: the 6-month requirement. Standard route: Seven Bank on arrival → switch salary to Rakuten Bank at month 6.
👉 Open Rakuten Bank — free / fully online.
🥉 #3 SBI Sumishin Net Bank — for everyone who sends money home
Why remitters should not skip this: look at the real cost of sending 100,000 yen once:
| Method | Transfer fee | Exchange cost | Real total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megabank counter | 5,000–7,000 yen | High (~2%) | 7,000–9,000 yen |
| SBI Sumishin Net Bank | 1,000 yen | Low | 1,500–2,000 yen |
| Wise (reference) | 600 yen | Lowest | ~1,000 yen |
If you send money home every month, switching from a megabank counter saves roughly 5,000–7,000 yen per transfer — about 60,000–84,000 yen per year. That is a month of food budget, recovered by opening one free account.
Also: convenience-store ATM fees free up to 15 times/month (rank-based), and “purpose accounts” let you wall off remittance money from spending money.
Verdict: the mandatory second account for anyone supporting family abroad (Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and beyond).
Weak point: stricter screening; not for your first weeks in Japan.
👉 Open SBI Sumishin Net Bank — free.
📖 Deep dive: Top 5 Money Transfer Services from Japan — Wise, Rakuten & Banks Compared
#4 SBI Shinsei Bank — bonuses and foreign currency
- Seasonal new-account campaigns worth a few thousand to ~20,000 yen in cashback or interest boosts.
- Seven Bank ATMs free several times per month (stage-based).
- Foreign currency accounts in 10 currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD and more).
Verdict: a smart 3rd account for bonus hunters and anyone holding foreign currency. Not a first account (6 months+ required).
👉 Open SBI Shinsei Bank — free.
#5 Japan Post Bank (Yucho) — when you want a human being in front of you
- Face-to-face support at 20,000+ post offices — the only network that covers every rural town.
- Residence requirements are flexible in practice — often possible well under 1 year.
Verdict: if online forms scare you, or you live where megabanks do not exist, Yucho plus a Seven Bank account covers everything.
✏️ Honesty note: Japan Post Bank earns this site nothing. It is here because for some readers it is genuinely the right answer.
Best combinations by lifestyle
| Your situation | Recommended set |
|---|---|
| Arrived within 3 months, need an account now | Seven Bank alone |
| Cutting living costs with the Rakuten ecosystem | Rakuten Bank + Rakuten Mobile + Rakuten Card |
| Sending money home monthly | SBI Sumishin Net Bank + Wise |
| Bonus hunting across banks | SBI Shinsei + Rakuten Bank |
| Prefer counters and paper | Japan Post Bank + Seven Bank (ATMs) |
Documents checklist — prepare these before you apply
- ✅ Residence card (photos of both sides, in focus)
- ✅ My Number card or notification card
- ✅ Proof of your Japanese address (driver’s license, health insurance card, etc.)
- ✅ Inkan / seal — only for Japan Post Bank and some megabanks (a 100-yen-shop one is fine; online banks skip this)
- ✅ A Japanese mobile number
- ✅ An email address (Gmail is fine)
FAQ
Q1. I have been in Japan only 3 months. Can I really open an account?
A. Yes — Seven Bank or Japan Post Bank. The 6-month rule applies to Rakuten, SBI Sumishin and SBI Shinsei, so add those later.
Q2. Best setup for salary + sending money home?
A. Salary into Rakuten Bank, remittance out of SBI Sumishin Net Bank. Cheapest combination overall.
Q3. What does a bank account unlock?
A. Salary, utilities, rent auto-pay, a credit card, online shopping, remittance — essentially your life infrastructure in Japan.
Q4. What about my account when I leave Japan?
A. Close it before departure. Abandoned accounts go dormant and cannot be reused if you return.
Q5. Is having 2–3 accounts OK?
A. Yes, and we recommend it — separate daily money, remittance money and savings.
Q6. Support in Sinhala or other languages?
A. Seven Bank covers the widest range (9 languages).
📖 සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න (Sinhala)
Q7. Should I get a credit card too?
A. Yes — after the bank account. Recommended order: Epos Card → Rakuten Card.
Q8. When is the best moment to apply?
A. The day after you register your address at city hall and have your residence card in hand.
Summary — do this today
- Under 6 months in Japan → open 🥇 Seven Bank today (10 minutes, free).
- Past 6 months → add 🥈 Rakuten Bank for salary, 🥉 SBI Sumishin if you send money home.
- Follow the 3 anti-rejection rules: right bank for your residence period, exact registered address, clean card photos.
👉 Start here: Seven Bank application — free / ~10 minutes / residence card only.
📅 Information as of June 2026. Campaigns and fees change — always confirm on the official sites.
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