UPI set to power seamless payments for Indian travellers in Japan

In a major step toward enhancing cross-border digital payment connectivity, the National Payments Corporation of India’s international arm, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NTT DATA Japan, a subsidiary of the NTT DATA Group. The collaboration aims to enable Unified Payments Interface (UPI) acceptance across merchant locations in Japan.

The partnership sets the stage for Indian travellers to make seamless payments in Japan using their existing UPI applications. Once implemented, users will be able to scan QR codes at NTT DATA-acquired merchant locations, offering a faster and more familiar checkout experience.

NTT DATA Japan, a key player in the country’s payments ecosystem, operates CAFIS, Japan’s largest card payment processing network. CAFIS serves as a critical link between acquirers, issuers, merchants, and ATM operators, forming the backbone of Japan’s digital payment infrastructure.

Under the MoU, both entities will assess and work towards integrating UPI with CAFIS to facilitate real-time, low-cost transactions for Indian visitors. The move is expected to significantly enhance customer satisfaction and drive business growth for local merchants by expanding payment options for inbound tourists.

The partnership comes amid a sharp rise in Indian travellers to Japan. Between January and August 2025, over 208,000 Indian visitors arrived in the country — a 36% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The growing travel corridor underscores the potential of UPI acceptance in catering to a digitally active segment of global tourists.

Ritesh Shukla, MD & CEO of NPCI International, said, “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.”

Masanori Kurihara, Head of Payments, NTT DATA Japan, added, “This collaboration marks an important milestone as we expand payment choices for inbound travellers from India. By enabling UPI acceptance, we aim to make shopping and payments more convenient for Indian tourists while helping Japanese merchants capture new opportunities.”

The initiative represents another stride in India’s push to globalize its indigenous payment infrastructure, following earlier UPI adoption efforts in countries such as Singapore, the UAE, and France e.t.c. As Japan gears up to welcome increasing tourist inflows, this collaboration could play a pivotal role in shaping a more connected, inclusive, and cashless global payments ecosystem.