Rakuten Securities
楽天証券Brokerage (NISA/iDeCo) · Rakuten Securities
- Fees
- Varies
- English
- Partial
A leading low-cost brokerage for NISA and index-fund investing, integrated with Rakuten points and Rakuten Bank.
The NISA growth-investment allowance
Eligible shares, ETFs, REITs, and funds; ineligible securities; the ¥2.4m annual and ¥12m lifetime sub-limits; and foreign-stock support.
Direct answers
The growth-investment allowance (成長投資枠) allows up to ¥2.4m per year — within a ¥12m lifetime sub-limit — for eligible listed shares, REITs, ETFs, and funds, but excludes supervisory/liquidation stocks, sub-20-year, monthly-distribution, and derivative-heavy funds; foreign-stock support is broker-specific.
Key points
- Up to ¥2.4m per year, within a ¥12m lifetime sub-limit (part of the ¥18m total).
- Eligible: individual listed shares, REITs, ETFs, and a wider set of funds.
- Excluded: supervisory/liquidation stocks, sub-20-year, monthly-distribution, and derivative-heavy funds.
- Foreign-stock support in NISA is broker-specific and not automatic.
- You can use it alongside the recurring allowance, up to ¥3.6m a year combined.
What you can buy
The growth-investment allowance is the broader of the two NISA frames. It allows eligible individual listed shares, REITs, ETFs, and a wider set of investment trusts than the recurring allowance — so this is where you buy a specific Japanese stock, a J-REIT, or a fund not on the tsumitate list. You can use it alongside the recurring allowance, for a combined ¥3.6m a year.
The annual limit is ¥2.4m, and it sits within a ¥12m lifetime sub-limit — no more than ¥12m of your ¥18m lifetime acquisition-cost capacity can be growth-allowance holdings. The remaining lifetime room can be filled through either allowance.
What is excluded
Several things are excluded to keep NISA aligned with long-term investing. The growth allowance does not include designated supervisory or liquidation stocks, investment trusts with terms shorter than 20 years, monthly-distribution funds, or certain derivative-heavy funds. Across both allowances, ordinary deposits, government and corporate bonds, and margin purchases are outside NISA entirely.
So the growth allowance is broad but not unlimited: it targets mainstream long-term investments, not high-turnover or income-maximising products. Confirm a specific security’s eligibility rather than assuming.
Individual stocks vs funds, and foreign support
The growth allowance lets you choose between funds and individual securities. Most investors keep a diversified low-cost fund as the core and use individual stocks only as a deliberate, limited sleeve, because a single company can suffer permanent loss. If you buy dividend-paying shares, ETFs, or REITs, select the proportional allocation method so the dividends stay tax-free in NISA.
Foreign stocks and ETFs can be held in the growth allowance when your broker supports them and the security is eligible — but this is broker-specific and not automatic just because a security is exchange-listed. Foreign dividends still carry source-country withholding, and US taxpayers must analyse PFIC treatment separately.
Who this is for
- Investors buying individual stocks/ETFs in NISA
- People using both NISA allowances
What this is not
- Pure fund accumulators (recurring allowance suffices)
- US taxpayers before PFIC review
Important cautions
- Eligibility and foreign-stock support are broker-specific and change; confirm each security before buying.
Related products & services
SBI Securities
SBI証券Brokerage (NISA/iDeCo) · SBI Securities
- Fees
- Varies
- English
- Partial
Japan’s largest online brokerage by accounts, with a very broad low-cost fund lineup and full NISA/iDeCo support.
Monex Securities
マネックス証券Brokerage (NISA/iDeCo) · Monex
- Fees
- Varies
- English
- Partial
An established online brokerage often chosen for US-stock access and research tools, with NISA and iDeCo support.
Frequently asked questions
Can foreign residents open a NISA account in Japan?
Generally yes, if you are a tax resident of Japan (with a My Number) and at least 18. NISA is tied to residency, not citizenship, so most foreign residents qualify — with two big cautions: US citizens and green-card holders face US tax complications with Japanese funds, and NISA generally cannot continue after you leave Japan. Confirm eligibility and the current rules on the FSA site and with your chosen brokerage.