MoneyInJapan

International transfer limits in Japan

How Type I and Type II funds-transfer providers, the ¥1 million threshold, bank caps, and customer-specific limits interact — and what to use when you need to send more.

Direct answers

Japan’s Type II funds-transfer model generally caps a transaction at ¥1 million; Type I services and banks support larger transfers with enhanced controls, and providers can also impose lower annual, monthly, or customer-specific limits.

Key points

  • Type II funds transfers are generally limited to ¥1 million per transaction; Type I supports larger amounts with more controls.
  • Wise supports qualifying Japan-based Type I transfers up to ¥150 million; Kyodai’s published Type I maximum is ¥10 million subject to review.
  • Banks set their own caps — Japan Post Bank, for example, is under ¥1 million per transaction, ¥2 million per day, ¥5 million per month.
  • Splitting a large transfer into smaller ones to dodge a limit can itself look suspicious and be aggregated.

Type I and Type II, and the ¥1 million line

Nonbank remittance in Japan runs under a registered funds-transfer model. Type II transactions are generally limited to no more than ¥1 million each. Type I services support larger transfers but involve enhanced controls and review. Limits can be statutory, provider-wide, corridor-specific, customer-specific, rolling-period, or imposed after a risk review.

Concrete published examples: Wise supports qualifying Japan-based Type I transfers up to ¥150 million; Kyodai lists a Type I maximum of ¥10 million including fees, subject to purpose and review. DCOM lists up to ¥1 million per transaction, ¥2 million per month, and ¥3.5 million per year, and Smiles publishes rolling controls such as ¥5 million in the latest 365 days.

Bank caps and sending more

Banks set their own per-transaction, daily, and monthly caps. Japan Post Bank’s browser service, for example, is under ¥1 million per transaction, ¥2 million per day, and ¥5 million per month. To send substantially more, use a bank branch or a Type I provider, and prepare source-of-funds and purpose documentation in advance — large transactions routinely trigger enhanced review, and a bank may offer a negotiated (market-linked) exchange rate above a threshold.

Never break one large payment into several smaller ones to slip under a limit. Providers can aggregate related transactions, and structuring to evade controls is itself a red flag that can freeze the account.

Who this is for

  • People sending more than ¥1 million
  • Anyone hitting a provider or bank cap

What this is not

  • Determining an exact customer-specific limit — only the provider’s review can set that
Important cautions
  • Structuring — splitting a transfer to evade a limit — can itself be treated as suspicious and trigger a freeze.

Related products & services

Wise

International transfers · Wise

English support: Yes

A licensed money-transfer service that uses the mid-market exchange rate with a transparent, upfront fee — often cheaper than bank wires for personal transfers.

  • Mid-market exchange rate with a visible fee
  • Multi-currency account and debit card
  • Clear estimate of the recipient amount before sending

Fees: Transparent per-transfer fee plus mid-market rate — compare the recipient amount.

Read more →Wise

Sources