Sending Money in Japan Without Delays: A Practical Furikomi Guide
A domestic bank transfer in Japan is called furikomi (振込). To send one, you normally need the recipient’s bank, branch, account type, account number, and registered account name. The most important rule is simple: check the recipient name displayed by the bank before you approve the payment.
Many transfers can arrive within minutes, including at night or on weekends. However, “24/7” does not guarantee instant delivery. The sending bank, receiving bank, account status, maintenance schedule, and security checks can all affect when the money arrives.
This guide is for foreign residents paying rent, school fees, invoices, deposits, or other domestic bills in Japan.
What you need to know:
- App or online transfers are usually cheaper than ATM or counter transfers.
- A bank’s acceptance time and the recipient’s crediting time are not always the same.
- The account holder’s name is normally handled in katakana, even if the person uses Roman letters in daily life.
- A wrong transfer may require a paid recall procedure and is not guaranteed to be recovered.
What furikomi means in Japan
Furikomi sends money to a specified bank account; it is different from moving money between your own accounts.
A transfer within the same bank can be processed inside that bank. A transfer to another bank usually passes through Japan’s nationwide interbank infrastructure, the Zengin System. According to the Japanese Banks’ Payment Clearing Network, the system covers almost all private banks in Japan and relays transfer instructions in real time.
Bank screens may use several similar terms:
- Furikomi (振込): A payment to another specified account, including an account at another bank.
- Furikae (振替): Usually a transfer between eligible accounts held by the same customer at the same bank.
- Sōkin (送金): A broader word meaning remittance or money transfer.
- Kōza furikae (口座振替): A direct debit initiated by a company, such as a utility provider. This is not the same as making a furikomi yourself.
The labels and exact scope vary by bank. Read the confirmation screen carefully instead of relying only on the English translation in an app.
Information to collect before sending money
Do not begin with only a name and account number. A Japanese transfer needs several matching account details.
Ask the recipient or company for the following:
- Bank name and, if available, the four-digit bank code
- Branch name and three-digit branch code
- Account type
- Account number
- Account holder’s registered name, usually in katakana
- Payment amount
- Any required payer name or reference number
- Payment deadline
Account types
The most common personal account is futsū yokin (普通預金), shown in English as an ordinary account or savings account. Businesses may use tōza yokin (当座預金), commonly translated as a current account.
Choosing the wrong type can prevent the transfer from reaching the intended account. Copy the type from the recipient’s instructions rather than guessing from how the account is used.
Japan Post Bank requires special attention
Japan Post Bank accounts traditionally use a symbol-and-number format called kigo bangō. Transfers from another financial institution instead require the transfer-format branch name, account type, and account number.
Japan Post Bank publishes an official conversion guide for transfers to its accounts. Its branch names for this purpose are three-character kanji names, and some account numbers must be adjusted. Ask the recipient for the transfer-format details whenever possible; do not try to infer them from a passbook photograph without checking the official conversion rules.
How recipient-name matching works
The bank’s displayed account name is a final identity check, not a minor spelling detail.
When you enter the bank, branch, account type, and account number, many online banking services query the receiving institution and display the registered recipient name. MUFG, for example, states that its internet banking service normally displays the recipient name automatically, although this function may be unavailable at certain times or for certain institutions.
Stop if the displayed name is not the person or company you expect. A valid but incorrect account number may produce a completely different name. Do not continue merely because the transfer screen allows you to do so.
Why the name may look unfamiliar
Japanese systems commonly display account names in katakana. A foreign resident’s registered bank name may therefore differ from the Roman-letter spelling on a residence card, invoice, or email.
Differences can include:
- Family name appearing before the given name
- Middle names being included, shortened, or omitted
- Long vowels represented differently in katakana
- Spaces inserted between name elements
- A company name appearing in an abbreviated form
- A branch or business division appearing as part of a corporate name
The correct version is the name registered on the receiving account—not a new katakana spelling created by the sender.
Japan Post Bank’s name-entry instructions show, for example, that a space should be placed between a personal family name and given name. Corporate names may require spaces or prescribed abbreviations.
ここがポイント: If the banking app retrieves and displays a recipient name, compare the identity rather than trying to make it resemble the English spelling. If the name must be entered manually, obtain the exact registered katakana from the recipient.
When automatic name confirmation is unavailable
A bank may ask you to type the name manually when it cannot retrieve it. This does not mean that an approximate spelling is safe.
Take these steps:
- Ask the recipient for the exact registered katakana.
- Confirm the bank, branch, account type, and account number again.
- Check whether the app requires full-width or half-width katakana.
- Preserve spaces and corporate abbreviations as instructed by the bank.
- Save the recipient only after one successful, verified transfer.
MUFG warns that a transfer may be returned when the account number or recipient name is incorrect. In that case, the original transfer fee is not refunded, and sending the payment again can require another fee.
Fees: the channel matters as much as the bank
The cheapest route is usually the bank’s own app or online service, but there is no single nationwide furikomi fee.
Fees may depend on:
- Whether the recipient uses the same bank
- In some cases, whether both accounts belong to the same branch
- Whether the amount is below or at least ¥30,000
- App, browser, ATM, or counter use
- Cash versus a bank card at an ATM
- Account plan or monthly fee-waiver benefits
- An additional ATM usage or out-of-hours charge
A current fee example
As of August 1, 2026, SMBC’s published personal fee schedule illustrates how large the difference can be. A transfer through SMBC Direct is free to an SMBC account. To another bank, the listed online fee is ¥154 for an amount below ¥30,000 and ¥220 for ¥30,000 or more. Certain account benefits may waive those fees.
At the other end of the scale, SMBC lists a ¥990 fee for a cash transfer at a counter to another bank. ATM fees and separate ATM usage charges may also apply depending on the card, machine, and time.
These figures are examples from one bank, not standard prices for Japan. Check your own bank’s current fee page immediately before sending a large or recurring payment.
Ways to reduce recurring costs
For rent, tuition, or other repeated payments:
- Use online banking instead of a counter when appropriate.
- Check whether transfers within your bank are free.
- Look for monthly free-transfer allowances attached to your account plan.
- Register a verified recipient to reduce repeated typing.
- Compare an automatic scheduled transfer with manual monthly transfers; scheduled services may carry their own handling charge.
- Ask whether the payee accepts direct debit or another approved payment method.
Do not subtract the fee from the requested payment unless the recipient explicitly says to do so. If an invoice is for ¥50,000, the recipient will normally expect the full ¥50,000 to reach the account.
Cutoff times and arrival: why “sent” may not mean “received”
A transfer can be accepted at any hour but still be treated as a reservation or credited later.
Japan’s More Time System supports interbank processing during weekday nights, weekends, and national holidays. This makes immediate off-hours transfers possible between participating institutions. It does not force every bank, account, or service channel to credit every payment instantly.
The Zengin-Net explanation of extended operating hours makes this distinction explicit: actual availability and usable channels can vary by financial institution and account conditions, and maintenance interruptions remain possible.
What can delay a transfer
A payment may arrive on the next business day or later when:
- One of the institutions does not support immediate processing for that transaction
- The transfer is made during scheduled maintenance
- The receiving account has a restriction
- The sender selects a future transfer date
- The bank treats the instruction as a reserved transfer
- A high-value or unusual payment triggers additional checks
- The recipient details cannot be verified
- The transfer is a payroll, bulk, or other specially scheduled payment rather than an ordinary personal transfer
For example, SMBC says its online transfers can generally be credited immediately 24 hours a day, but it also lists exceptions based on the receiving institution and account status. It further states that transfers made from 9:00 p.m. Sunday to 7:00 a.m. Monday are handled as reservations, with credit expected around 9:00 a.m. on the designated date, subject to variation.
That schedule belongs to SMBC and may change. Your bank’s displayed execution date is the information that matters for your transaction.
Plan backward from the deadline
For an important payment, “submit by midnight” is a risky interpretation unless the recipient has confirmed it.
Use this safer sequence:
- Check whether the deadline means the instruction date or the date funds must arrive.
- Review the execution date on the confirmation screen.
- Send before the final business day if a delay would cause a penalty or lost reservation.
- Keep the transaction number or receipt.
- Ask the recipient to confirm receipt when the payment is time-sensitive.
A transfer marked “completed” in the sender’s app can mean that the bank accepted or processed the instruction. It does not always prove that the recipient has reconciled the payment.
Step-by-step: making a domestic transfer
Pause at the confirmation screen; that is where most preventable mistakes can still be caught.
1. Prepare access and authentication
Log in through the official banking app or website. A bank may require a one-time password, app approval, or another authentication method. New accounts can also have default transfer limits.
Do not follow a transfer link from an unexpected email or message. Open the banking app yourself.
2. Choose furikomi
Select the domestic bank-transfer option. Do not choose furikae unless you are intentionally moving funds between your own eligible accounts.
3. Enter the recipient’s bank details
Choose the bank and branch, then enter the account type and number. Search results may be in Japanese even when the main app interface is in English.
4. Confirm the displayed recipient
Compare the displayed name with the recipient’s official instructions. If no name appears, obtain the exact registered katakana before proceeding.
5. Enter the amount and execution date
Check the transfer amount, fee, total debit, and scheduled date. A future date can be useful, but the account must usually contain sufficient funds when the bank executes the transfer.
6. Set the sender name if instructed
The furikomi irainin-mei is the payer name shown to the recipient. A landlord, school, or company may ask you to place a customer number before your name so it can identify the payment.
For example, an instruction might require a format such as 123456 SMITH JOHN. Follow the recipient’s format exactly. Changing the sender name for identification does not change ownership of your bank account.
7. Review every field and authorize
Check:
- Recipient bank and branch
- Account type and number
- Displayed recipient name
- Amount
- Fee and total debit
- Execution date
- Payer name or reference number
Then complete authentication and save the receipt or transaction number.
If you entered the wrong details
Contact the sending bank immediately; do not assume that canceling a transfer works like reversing a card payment.
There are two broad outcomes.
The transfer cannot be credited
If the account does not exist or the manually entered name fails the receiving bank’s checks, the funds may be returned. The timing varies, and the original transfer fee may not be refunded. You may need to correct the details and pay again.
The money reaches a valid but unintended account
Ask your bank about kumimodoshi (組戻し), a request to recall a transfer. Recovery is not automatic. The receiving bank may need to contact the account holder, and the recipient’s cooperation can be necessary.
Banks can charge a recall or correction fee. SMBC’s current personal schedule, for example, lists ¥660 for recall, resending, or alteration procedures. That fee does not guarantee recovery.
When contacting the bank, prepare:
- Transfer date and approximate time
- Amount
- Sending account
- Incorrect recipient details
- Transaction or receipt number
- Identification requested by the bank
If fraud is suspected, contact the bank promptly and also consult the appropriate police or consumer service. Do not send an additional “release fee” to someone claiming that it is needed to return the original payment.
Common mistakes foreign residents can avoid
Most problems come from treating a Japanese transfer like a simple name-and-number payment.
- Creating your own katakana spelling: Use the account’s registered spelling.
- Ignoring the displayed name: A different name is a reason to stop.
- Confusing the recipient name with the payer name: They serve different purposes.
- Using Japan Post Bank’s kigo bangō directly at another bank: Obtain or convert it to the transfer-format details.
- Choosing the wrong account type: Ordinary and current accounts are not interchangeable.
- Assuming weekends never matter: Immediate payment may be possible, but bank-specific restrictions and maintenance still apply.
- Sending at the last minute: The payee may care about arrival, not when you tapped the button.
- Forgetting the identifying reference: The money may arrive but remain unmatched to your rent, tuition, or invoice.
- Using an old saved recipient: Branch mergers, company reorganizations, and account changes can make saved details obsolete.
- Paying from an unexpected family account without notice: The recipient may not recognize the payer name.
For a first payment to a new recipient, verify the details through a trusted contact method. If the account instructions suddenly changed by email, confirm the change independently before sending.
Alternatives for smaller payments
A standard furikomi is not always the cheapest option, but alternatives have different limits and participation rules.
Some banking apps support Cotora, a domestic person-to-person remittance service. Participating services may allow transfers of up to ¥100,000 per transaction without a fee. Availability, recipient identifiers, limits, and eligible accounts depend on the provider.
This can be useful for eligible personal payments. It may not suit rent, school fees, business invoices, or any payment whose recipient specifically requires a conventional bank transfer and reference format.
Cash deposits, direct debit, payment slips, and convenience-store payment services are also separate systems. Use the method named on the bill rather than replacing it with furikomi without permission.
Final checklist before you press send
Treat recipient identity, execution date, and total cost as three separate checks.
Before authorizing the transfer, confirm:
- The bank, branch, account type, and number came from a trusted source.
- The displayed recipient is the person or organization you intend to pay.
- Any manually entered name matches the registered katakana exactly.
- The payer name includes the required customer or invoice reference.
- The recipient will receive the full requested amount.
- The execution date is early enough for the deadline.
- You understand the transfer fee and any separate ATM charge.
- You have saved the transaction number or receipt.
For a rent deposit, tuition deadline, or other high-consequence payment, send early and ask the recipient to confirm receipt. The last screen in your banking app is your best chance to prevent an expensive recall.