Everyone who is a traveler or foreigner in Japan and is using an android device as their primary device might have experienced not being able to add an IC card into the device and they also can't use Pasmo or Suica mobile. Before I tell you about it, I want to explain how mobile payments work in Japan.

Japanese Mobile Payment

Mobile payment in Japan started in 2004. NTT Docomo had operated a service called "Okeitai Saifu" (it means Pocket wallet) where you could add your own IC card, for example, electronic money cards or loyalty cards into the mobile device. Also NTT Docomo launched the first Okeitai Saifu devices (4 devices), too. And inside the device there is an NFC chip called FeliCa.

SO506iC is one of the first Okeitai Saifu devices - Ocdp, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Felica

FeliCa is a contactless RFID smartcard system that is primarily used with electronic money. FeliCa was developed by Sony in Japan. Also FeliCa is one of NFC standards called NFC F. But if FeliCa runs on NFC standard devices, why can't android devices use it? Android devices bought outside of Japan do not have NFC F hardware installed. And for this reason they can't use FeliCa based payment.

Example of Felica Based Services

Public transportation payment in Japan
- Suica
- Pasmo
- ICOCA
- PiTaPa
- etc.
Airport Rail Link, Thailand
Octopus cards, Hong Kong
EZ-link, Singapore
etc.

What are alternative ways to use mobile payment?

Buy a Japanese mobile phone

If you are a foreigner who has to live in Japan for the long term, I suggest buying a new phone. I recommend an iPhone because in Japan iPhones have the biggest market share. You can access services like FeliCa based payment more easily than on android devices, and you can buy an iPhone without a carrier contract. But if you still want to continue to use android, you should be aware that not all Japanese android devices have the FeliCa chip installed. You should check the specifications to make sure that it includes Okeitai Saifu.

Okeitai Saifu included specification example

Standard NFC payment

If you are a tourist who wants to travel in Japan, I suggest you add your credit card to google pay and use your card with contactless payment. If a store accepts contactless payment such as Visa payWave and Mastercard Tap & Go, it might accept NFC payment.

Mobile Payment using Payment Terminal. Picture taken bij Jonas Leupe (www.brandstof.studio) for In The Pocket (www.inthepocket.com) — Photo by Jonas Leupe / Unsplash

QR Code payment

This method works for every mobile device, because it requires only a display panel to display the QR or Barcode for payment. But if you are a tourist, this method is impossible or hard to use because the registration for this service requires a Japanese phone number or resident card, etc.

Sending money with the Alipay app from Alibaba — Photo by Markus Winkler / Unsplash

Conclusion

If you are a tourist in Japan, the most convenient payment method might be NFC payment because NFC is one of the standard technologies included in most phones today. But for transport in Japan, FeliCa is the only accepted payment method. If you are a foreigner who will live in Japan for a long period, you can decide on the most suitable method on your own. 😉

Cover Image By : Photo by Jack Sparrow from Pexels

Why can't we use android devices for payment in Japan?