Indian travellers may soon pay via UPI in Japan under NPCI–NTT DATA deal

Indian travellers visiting Japan may soon be able to make payments using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the global arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NTT DATA Japan.

The partnership aims to enable UPI acceptance across Japanese merchant locations, offering Indian tourists a seamless and secure digital payment experience abroad. The integration will allow users to pay by scanning QR codes with their preferred UPI apps, eliminating the need for cash or foreign cards.

“This collaboration marks an important milestone as we expand payment choices for inbound travelers from India,” said Masanori Kurihara, Head of Payments Services Sector at NTT DATA. “By initiating the partnership for UPI acceptance in Japan, we aim to make shopping and payments more convenient for Indian tourists, while helping Japanese merchants capture new opportunities.”

Ritesh Shukla, MD & CEO of NIPL, 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. It also reflects our ambition to take UPI to more international markets and establish it as one of the most trusted digital payment systems globally.”

The initiative marks UPI’s first step into East Asia, representing a major milestone in its global expansion. It comes as Indian tourism to Japan surges — more than 208,000 Indian visitors travelled to Japan between January and August 2025, a 36% increase compared to the same period last year.

UPI, launched in 2016, has become one of the world’s largest real-time payment networks. In September 2025, it processed nearly 20 billion transactions, worth over $280 billion.

NTT DATA, a global leader in digital and technology services, operates CAFIS®, Japan’s largest card payment processing network connecting acquirers, issuers, merchants, and ATMs. Together, NIPL and NTT DATA will assess opportunities for UPI enablement in Japan, supporting the country’s shift toward a cashless economy while giving Indian travellers a familiar and trusted payment option.