Travellers with overseas-issued Visa Cards can now Withdraw Yen from Seven Bank ATMs in Japan

Travellers to Japan will be pleased to learn that 12,000 Seven Bank ATMs have been installed which, since Wednesday, 11 July, allow international Visa cardholders to conduct cash withdrawals in yen. Seven Bank has installed the ATMs primarily in Seven-Eleven and Ito-Yokado stores throughout Japan. These ATMs offer service menus and print receipts in English, Portuguese, Chinese, and Korean.

Most ATMs in Japan, aside from those of Japan Post, a few banks and credit card companies, do not allow yen withdrawals to be made with overseas-issued credit cards since these ATMs are based on Japan-specific standards. As a result, many visitors for business or leisure have found it difficult to make yen withdrawals in Japan with their overseas-issued cards. This prompted calls by the tourism industry for domestic ATMs to be reconfigured based on international standards so that cards issued by foreign financial institutions can be used more easily in Japan.

Visa International is also launching a new map search function on its “Experience Tokyo with Visa” website called “ATM Locator”. The service pinpoints ATMs in Japan which accept overseas-issued Visa cards. By typing in a train station name the ATM Locator will find nearby ATMs where Visa cardholders can use their overseas-issued Visa cards. The search then provides a map of the area surrounding the train station, pinpointing the nearby Seven Bank and Japan Post ATMs. The search function will be upgraded to show other ATMs near the specified train station where cardholders can make yen withdrawals using Visa cards issued overseas. This service is available in English and Japanese so that English-speaking foreign visitors can locate ATMs themselves using the English-language search function and hotel concierges and others can, in response to requests from foreign visitors, locate ATMs using the Japanese-language search function. This new map search service will help make the stay of foreign visitors to Japan even more convenient.

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