Japan SWIFT Codes & BIC Directory

Japan SWIFT/BIC bank directory

The Japan directory uses the JP country block and identifies the principal banks and registered cities in the dataset. The common eleven-character form is the primary-office representation; Japanese branch codes and local clearing details must be supplied by the receiving bank when required.

The primary/branch column shows the safe eleven-character primary-office form and, where relevant, a branch-code reminder. A suffix is not inferred from a city or postcode; confirm any named branch BIC with the receiving bank.

Understanding Japan BICs before you send

Japan generally does not use IBANs for domestic accounts. International senders usually need the beneficiary's account number, branch name and number, account type, legal name, address, bank BIC, and the purpose of payment. The Japanese bank may also request the beneficiary's phone number or a Japanese-language name.

Domestic Zengin or other local transfer details are not the same as a SWIFT BIC. A branch number can be essential for account crediting, but it belongs in the branch or account fields rather than replacing the BIC.

The JP country block separates Japanese legal entities from similarly branded banks in Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, or Europe. A Tokyo location block does not mean every account is held in Tokyo; the beneficiary's branch instruction controls.

How to read the Japan bank table

Read a BIC from left to right. The first four characters identify the bank, the next two identify the country or jurisdiction, and the next two identify a location or processing centre. An optional final three characters identify a branch or department. When the final block is XXX, it is the standard primary-office form rather than a promise that the beneficiary's account is physically at headquarters.

The head-office column in this directory is the eight-character code recorded for the institution. The primary/branch column adds XXX when a form requires eleven characters. That is the safest general conversion because banks commonly accept the primary office and route the payment using the account identifier. A named branch suffix can be more precise, but only the receiving bank can confirm whether it is active for this account and currency.

City is a useful cross-check, not an independent routing key. A bank can centralise international payments in one city while serving customers across the country. It can also publish different BICs for subsidiaries, branches, custody desks, or currency corridors. If a beneficiary's statement differs from this table, use the statement and contact the bank rather than selecting the row that merely looks closest.

These rows identify banks, not accounts. A valid BIC does not prove that an account is open, that a beneficiary name matches, or that a currency can be credited. Account numbers, IBANs where supported, local clearing details, intermediary instructions, and compliance documents remain separate parts of an international payment instruction.

Before and after sending a Japan payment

Before submitting, compare the beneficiary's current bank certificate with the form: legal name, country block, BIC, account identifier, city, currency, and payment purpose. Check whether the sender's bank asks for an intermediary. For a corporate payment, keep the invoice, contract, tax details, and source-of-funds explanation ready so a compliance team can match the payment without an avoidable repair.

Charges also affect the result. OUR usually asks the sender to cover bank charges, SHA shares them, and BEN deducts them from the beneficiary's amount, although availability varies by bank and currency. Compare the quoted fee, exchange rate, expected net amount, and value date before confirming. A lower fee can mean an intermediary chain or a slower route, so choose based on the beneficiary's required amount and deadline.

After sending, keep the payment reference and wait for the quoted window. If the payment is late, ask the originating bank where the message is: correspondent, repair queue, receiving bank, or returned. Request a SWIFT trace or equivalent message reference and give it to the beneficiary. Do not alter the BIC or send a duplicate until the first payment is resolved; two simultaneous wires create a larger recovery and compliance problem.

How to send a SWIFT payment to Japan

Request a bilingual payment instruction when possible. Japanese bank records can contain a legal name, katakana name, branch name, account type, and account number that a foreign sender must reproduce accurately.

1. Select an international SWIFT wire and enter the confirmed JP receiver BIC.
2. Enter the beneficiary's account number, branch name/number, account type, legal name, and address exactly as supplied.
3. Add the bank city and branch address in the separate fields; do not merge the branch number into the BIC.
4. Confirm currency, correspondent, and whether the sender must include a purpose or invoice.
5. Review name spelling, payment charges, and expected value date before releasing the wire.
6. Keep the reference and ask the sender for a trace if the Japanese bank has not credited the account after the quoted window.

Common Japan SWIFT mistakes

Timing, tracing, and beneficiary checks

Japanese holidays, time-zone cut-offs, intermediary screening, and requests for beneficiary clarification can extend delivery beyond the nominal SWIFT window.

When tracing a late payment, provide the exact account number, branch, amount, currency, and message reference. Do not alter the BIC or resend until the first message is resolved.

For recurring Japanese payments, keep the bank's latest English payment instruction and re-confirm it after a branch move or account change.

A final Japan payment checklist

Compare the country block in the BIC with the country where the account is legally held, not merely the country where the bank group has its headquarters. Then compare the bank prefix and location block with the beneficiary's statement. If the name, city, or legal entity differs, pause and ask the receiving bank which instruction is current. This simple comparison catches many cross-border errors before a message reaches an intermediary.

Keep account-level information separate from bank-level information. The BIC identifies the institution, while an IBAN, local account number, branch number, sort code, ABA number, or other clearing field identifies the customer account. A payment form can display several of these fields at once, and copying a value into the wrong field can create an otherwise avoidable reject even when every value is individually valid.

Finally, record the amount, currency, charge option, value date, beneficiary reference, and confirmation number. These details let the sender and recipient distinguish a correspondent delay from a beneficiary-data error. When the bank confirms a correction, update the saved payment instruction and retain the old version for audit purposes. Do not publish or forward a synthetic test BIC as if it were a real account instruction.