When it comes to sending money overseas from Japan, you have several options. You can do it through a traditional bank transfer or via one of the alternative services. It is highly recommended that you check the fees, exchange rates, limits, and other details of the service you intend to use before making an overseas remittance. It is worth noting that if you do not have "My Number" in Japan, it is adivasable to check if you can make an overseas remittance without it. If you would like to learn more about Japan's "My Number" system, please read our article "What is Japan My Number Card?"

If you do not have a Japanese bank account and would like to open one, please check our article for more information about "How to Open a Bank Account." Since a "hanko" is often required when opening a bank account, it may be necessary to make one. If you require more information about it, please check the following article: "Hanko/Inkan: A Guide to the World of Japanese Signature Seals."

Please keep in mind that transfer fee is not the only charge you may incur for international money transfer, and it is a good idea to check all the fees and charges before making a decision what service is the best for you. If you need to transfer money from abroad to Japan, please check our guide to "International Money Transfers to Japan."

International Money Transfer Services

Brastel Remit

Brastel Remit is a service for sending money overseas. You can register with it online or by visiting one of their offices.

GoRemit (Offered by Shinsei Bank)

GoRemit is a service offered by Shinsei Bank. It is not necessary to open an account at this bank in order to use their service. However you would need to perform a registration by submitting required documents online or by post.

Japan Money Express

Japan Money Express provides exchange rate data for a number of Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Vietnam, etc. You can register with the service by visiting one of their offices or mailing the necessary documents.

Japan Post Bank

Japan Post Bank can be found at post offices all over Japan making it easily accessible.

Mizuho Bank (in Japanese)

Mizuho is one of the so-called Japan's megabanks. Please visit Mizuho's website for a list of branches that allow an international money transfer, as well as more information on transfer fees, required documents, etc.

MUFG (in Japanese)

MUFG is another Japanese megabank. Transfer fees, supported currencies, etc. vary depending on the method of an overseas remittance.

PayPal (in Japanese)

PayPal is a well-known service that is available in many countries around the world. To use the service, you must first register your bank account with Paypal. Eventually, the recipient will also need to have a Paypal account in order to receive the funds you have sent. It is also a popular service for making online payments.

Resona Bank

If you have a Resona bank account, you can use their app to send money overseas or conduct a transaction at one of their branches. Although it is cheaper to transfer money through the bank's app, it has a limit of up to 9 transactions per month, with a monthly limit of 500,000 yen and a yearly limit of 1,500,000 yen. Overseas remittances performed through the bank's counter do not have such limits.

SBI Remit

With SBI Remit, you can easily send money to over 220 countries. You can send money to the receiver's bank account or in a form of cash pick-up at one of the MoneyGram stores.

Seven Bank

One of the bank's unique features is that Seven Bank allows you to send money via WesternUnion to many countries around the world, as well as to the Philippines via BDO Unibank. However, in order to use Seven Bank's international remittance services, you must first open a bank account with them. Cash pick-up is one of the services provided.

SMBC

SMBC is another megabank on our list. The transfer fees for "SMBC Direct" service are cheaper than for performing money transfer at the bank's counter.

Rakuten Bank (in Japanese)

It is a well-known internet bank. It allows overseas remittances in more than 160 currencies.

Western Union

Western Union is a popular money-transfer service that allows you to transfer money to around 200 countries. You can either send money to the recipient's bank account, mobile wallet or in a form of cash pick-up. It is possible to pay for the overseas remittance by either bank transfer or in cash at one of Western Union locations. Please visit their website for more information on international money transfers, as well as store locations in Japan.

Wise

Many of us know this service by its former name: TransferWise. Wise is well-known as a less expensive alternative to bank transfers. Both you and the recipient need to create an account with Wise in order to use the service.

WorldRemit

You can send money to more than 140 countries with WorldRemit. It offers a number of ways to send money abroad making it an extremely convenient service to use.

We have covered some of Japan's most well-known banks and international money transfer services in this article. While there is no single best way to send money from Japan to another country, the variety of available services allows you to select the best option based on your needs, location, and other factors.