QRIS Cross-Border With Japan Starts for Indonesians, Inbound Use Still in Development

Denpasar — Bank Indonesia is expanding QRIS cross-border payments with Japan, enabling Indonesian travellers to pay in Japan by scanning local QR codes, while inbound use by Japanese visitors in Indonesia is still being developed as part of a wider regional payment integration strategy.

According to Bank Indonesia’s August 2025 monetary policy review, QRIS Cross-Border cooperation with Japan entered operation for the outbound Indonesian corridor, allowing Indonesians to transact in Japan using domestic payment applications. The same document describes inbound QRIS cooperation for payments in Indonesia by users in Japan as under development.

Bank Indonesia’s news release on QRIS Indonesia–Japan states that QRIS payments can be made in Japan by scanning the JPQR Global code through Indonesian payment applications, without exchanging foreign currency. The release notes that QR code payment connectivity between Indonesia and Japan was launched on 17 August 2025, initially covering merchants at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka and several locations at Haneda Airport, with plans to expand coverage to other regions in Japan.

What is in place

The Indonesian central bank’s August 2025 announcement on QRIS use in Japan confirms that at the initial stage, Indonesian users could pay at 35 merchants in Japan by scanning JPQR Global with domestic payment apps, with merchant coverage expected to grow over time.

A Bali-based business outlet reported that Bank Indonesia’s provincial office in Bali marked the launch of QRIS cross-border outbound payments to Japan on 17 August, coinciding with Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day. That report described the service as initially focused on outbound transactions by Indonesian tourists spending in Japan, with inbound use by Japanese visitors in Indonesia targeted for future implementation.

Bank Indonesia’s QRIS information page lists BPD Bali among the Indonesian payment service providers supporting QRIS Cross-Border. A June 2026 statement by BPD Bali notes that the bank is the first regional bank to apply the Japan cross-border QRIS programme and highlights experience sessions held at the provincial Bank Indonesia office in Bali in connection with the launch.

Multiple Bank Indonesia communications emphasize that cross-border QRIS is already in place with Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, and that expansion to Japan and China builds on this existing regional network. The QRIS information page also explains that international travellers can make payments at QRIS merchants in Indonesia by scanning QRIS codes with participating foreign payment applications, indicating the intended two-way model once Japan’s inbound corridor is operational.

Status of payments by Japanese visitors

As of the August 2025 monetary policy review, Bank Indonesia described QRIS Cross-Border cooperation with Japan for inbound payments in Indonesia as still under development, alongside preparations for similar cooperation with China. Publicly available statements from Bank Indonesia and major media reports examined for this article reiterate plans to allow Japanese visitors to use their own payment applications at Indonesian QRIS merchants, but do not provide a confirmed launch date or operational details for that inbound corridor.

Because the available official and media information stops at the development-stage description for inbound QRIS payments from Japan to Indonesia, it does not establish whether Japanese visitors could routinely make QR-based payments at Indonesian merchants by 20 September 2026, nor does it specify which Japanese payment apps and Indonesian banks would participate.

Why the Japanese market matters

The QRIS Indonesia–Japan launch was timed around Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day and framed by Bank Indonesia as an effort to strengthen payment connectivity with a key tourism and business partner outside ASEAN. In that context, outbound QRIS use by Indonesians in Japan and planned inbound use by Japanese visitors in Indonesia are presented as complementary flows intended to support tourism and retail transactions in both directions.

Bank Indonesia and industry commentators also link the Japan and China corridors to broader efforts to expand cross-border digital payments for travellers, building on earlier QRIS connections with Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. For Bali, these initiatives are portrayed as potentially beneficial for tourism, particularly if inbound QRIS acceptance for visitors from Japan and other Asian markets is eventually implemented at a wide range of local merchants.

Sources

• Bank Indonesia – QRIS Indonesia–Japan Strengthens Payment Connectivity
• DetikFinance – Wisatawan RI Tak Perlu Tukar Uang, QRIS Bisa Dipakai di Jepang
• BisnisNusa – QRIS Lintas Negara di Jepang, Perkuat Ekonomi Digital dan Pariwisata
• Bisnis.com Bali – Jepang dan China Masuk Ekosistem QRIS Cross Border Bakal Untungkan Pariwisata Bali
• Republika – QRIS Resmi Berlaku di Jepang, BI Perluas Kerja Sama Pembayaran Digital
• Bank BPD Bali – Dapat Apresiasi Tinggi, QRIS Bank BPD Bali Metode Transaksi Milenial
• Interactive QRIS – QRIS Bagi Wisatawan Mendorong Kenyamanan dan Digitalisasi Transaksi Pariwisata
• OpenGov Asia – Indonesia Accelerates Cross-Border Digital Payments