Indian tourists visiting Japan will soon enjoy seamless digital payments, thanks to a new strategic partnership between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and Japan’s payment technology leader, NTT DATA. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to enable transactions through India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) across merchant locations in Japan. This development marks a significant expansion of UPI’s international presence and enhances the travel experience of over 200,000 Indian visitors travelling annually to the country.

India’s UPI is a fast and convenient digital payments system that allows users to transfer money using mobile devices easily, often through QR code scanning. NTT DATA operates CAFIS, Japan’s largest card payment processing network, which connects acquirers, issuers, merchants, and ATMs nationwide. By collaborating with NTT DATA, NPCI will leverage this extensive network to facilitate UPI acceptance among merchants in Japan. Indian tourists will be able to use their familiar UPI apps to make payments without worrying about currency conversion or unfamiliar payment methods.

Rising India-Japan Tourism

Japan has become an increasingly popular destination for Indian travellers. From January to August 2025, over 208,000 Indian tourists visited Japan, representing a 36 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Notably, May 2025 witnessed a record-breaking 43,000 Indian visitors in a single month. Digital travel searches from India to Japan reflect rising interest, with a 68 percent increase in online travel queries from May to August 2025 compared to the previous year. While Tokyo remains the most searched destination, Osaka has seen a remarkable 158 percent surge in Indian traveller inquiries, illustrating expanding tourism interests within Japan.

Adding to the significance of this collaboration, NIPL’s Managing Director and CEO, Ritesh Shukla, highlighted that the partnership is a key step towards simplifying cross-border payments for Indian tourists. The move aligns with NPCI’s broader vision to establish UPI as a global standard for digital payments. Presently, UPI operates in seven countries including the UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, and Mauritius, with plans to further expand to four to six additional countries by the end of 2025.

NTT DATA’s Head of Payments Services Sector, Masanori Kurihara, expressed optimism about the partnership, stating it will enhance payment convenience for tourists and help Japanese merchants seize new business opportunities. This initiative marks UPI’s first entry into East Asia, underlining the potential for further integration of digital payment systems to support the growing tourism corridor between India and Japan.

UPI’s Global Expansion

UPI’s growth story is remarkable in itself, as it continues to dominate real-time digital payments globally. India processes approximately 18 to 20 billion UPI transactions every month, making up nearly half of the global volume for fast payments. In September 2025 alone, UPI recorded 19.63 billion transactions with a value of ₹24.9 trillion, cementing its position as one of the world’s most trusted and widely used digital payment platforms. The expansion of UPI into Japan further underscores India’s growing influence in the fintech space and reinforces the strengthening ties between the two countries through tourism and commerce.

This partnership between NPCI and NTT DATA is expected to bring greater convenience to Indian tourists, reduce reliance on cash and traditional credit cards during travel, and create new opportunities for Japanese merchants to connect with a valuable consumer segment. As cross-border digital payments become more commonplace, such collaborations could pave the way for a more seamless and connected global payment ecosystem, benefiting travellers and businesses alike. This step is a positive development in the ongoing digital transformation of global commerce and tourism, reflecting the potential of technology to bridge geographical and cultural gaps.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share