Apple Pay Now Live in Japan

Monday October 24, 2016 10:49 AM PDT by Juli Clover
applepayjapanFollowing the release of iOS 10.1 this morning, Apple has activated Apple Pay in Japan, making it available for use at all locations that accept the Suica prepaid money card, QuicPay, or iD.

Apple Pay in Japan is unique because rather than exclusively using NFC, it also supports the FeliCa payments standard that’s been widely adopted in the country. iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models sold in Japan include a FeliCa chip, as do Apple Watch Series 2 models.

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus users in Japan can now use their iPhones to make purchases in cafes, purchase transit tickets, make purchases in apps and on websites, replace a Suica card, and more.

To use a Suica card with Apple Pay, customers in Japan will need to add their Suica card or Suica commuter card to the Wallet app. Once added, the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus can be used in place of a standard card.

Apple Pay in Japan works with credit and debit cards issued by American Express, JCB, Mastercard, Aeon Financial, Orico, Credit Saison, SoftBank, d Card, View Card, MUFG Card, and more.

An iPhone 7, 7 Plus, or Apple Watch Series 2 is required to make purchases in stores and at transportation facilities in Japan. The iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, and SE, along with iPad Pro models, the iPad Air 2, and the iPad mini 3 and later, can be used to make payments within apps and on the web.

Apple Pay is now available in 12 countries, including the U.S., UK, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Japan.

Related Roundups: Apple Pay, iPhone 7
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 8 (Neutral)
103 comments


Top Rated Comments

(View all)
Avatar
BMcCoy
20 months ago
This is really big news - the Suica card system is huge in Japan, from travel to vending machines.
This will absolutely drive increased iPhone sales in Japan.
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
krause734
20 months ago
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
mavis
19 months ago

Sorry, trying to understand this. So you're saying if I have a Japanese unlocked iPhone 7, I do a factory reset on it and activate it with a foreign SIM, then change the SIM to my regular Japanese SIM, I could bypass the photo shutter?

No. It only works if the first SIM card used to activate the phone is non-Japanese.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
macfacts
20 months ago

I got the impression from a previous story that it was Japanese models only.

I don't enough about the Suica system to know if it is straightforward NFC, and therefore compatible with all iPhones with Apple Pay.

Would definitely be a bonus for visitors to Japan.. if there was an easy way to add Suica to your iPhone wallet. You then barely need to obtain any local Yen currency!


Adding support for it outside of Japan is not going to happen because that would be millions of phones that need additional licensing fees to someone else.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
Ihatefall
20 months ago

Too bad this is limited to iPhone 7s sold in Japan. I'll be visiting there soon and would love to use FeLiCa for public transport.


You can still get a suica/ pasmo card. It costs 2000 yen and comes loaded with 1500 yen,
Once you're done with it, return it for a 500 yen refund.
You can buy a card for like 900 yen that blocks the interference from the iPhone and the suica card so you can slip it in your phone case. It's basically the same thing, and I have been doing it for 2 years now.

I am going to go with a US iP7+ and Japanese AW2. I HATE how the Japanese iPhones make a shutter sound that can't be turned off, unlike every other iPhone in the world.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
Appurushido
20 months ago

I got the impression from a previous story that it was Japanese models only.

I don't enough about the Suica system to know if it is straightforward NFC, and therefore compatible with all iPhones with Apple Pay.

Would definitely be a bonus for visitors to Japan.. if there was an easy way to add Suica to your iPhone wallet. You then barely need to obtain any local Yen currency!



Suica only works if you have a Japanese model iPhone/Apple Watch. What I'm wondering is, can you still use Apple pay on your phone, in Japan, regardless of country the iPhone was purchased.

Also, I travel to Japan for work. Does anyone know if I can buy an Apple Watch Series 2 (Japan Version) and use the Suica feature, while having a US iPhone? Or do I need both the combination being Japanese versions, phone and watch? I'd hate to have to buy another iPhone just for that feature.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
LordQ
20 months ago
Nice for the Japanese market. Hope it comes to Mexico soon!
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
mavis
19 months ago

Legally required; but silent with live picture ... ;)

Not to split hairs, but it's not legally required here. Also, live pictures are great, but don't help when you're taking a screenshot on a train, etc ...
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
pesos
20 months ago
TBH while it's a nice to have in a phone it's not that different than having pull your wallet out of your pocket and touch it to the reader (although you're somewhat more likely to already have your phone out and in your hand). That's why we went the watch route - with twins to haul around it's a real pain to have to get something out of a pocket. I got really good at just throwing my hip/butt up onto the turnstile reader as I passed by since my hands were always full of babies/crap (not literal crap).
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
dontwalkhand
20 months ago

Finally!
Japan has been using NFC in daily life for more than a decade.

Yes but some sad proprietary system unlike PayPass/payWave like the rest of the world :(
Rating: 1 Votes
[ Read All Comments ]