Programmable financial services company Stripe announced a set of payments updates for Japanese businesses and businesses looking to expand into Japan.
First, Stripe is making it easier for businesses to sell to customers in Japan by enabling new payment methods. Businesses in Japan can accept PayPay, a popular payment method with over 68 million users, for online purchases. They can also get paid out faster for PayPay transactions—now in as few as four business days instead of waiting until the end of the month, which is the industry standard. Stripe is also enabling businesses to offer card installments to allow customers to split purchases into smaller payments. This is especially helpful for higher-price items.
Second, Stripe is making it easier for businesses to navigate Japan’s new 3D Secure mandate, which became required for online credit card payments at the end of March 2025. Stripe reduces checkout friction by applying exemptions when possible and only triggering authentication when necessary—helping prevent legitimate transactions from being rejected. Paired with Radar, Stripe’s fraud prevention product, this has helped businesses like Sourcenext increase conversion rates while complying with the new 3D Secure mandate.
Third, Stripe is now the first payment platform in Japan to support network tokens, to help businesses lower costs and increase authentication rates on card payments. Network tokens are payment credentials specific to a card-merchant pair and are used as a safer alternative to storing a card’s primary account number.
“I am delighted to announce our partnership with Stripe, a company with a strong global track record in online payments” said Toshifumi Kasakawa, CEO of PayPay. “Businesses on Stripe can now offer PayPay’s code-based payments to their customers, ensuring a secure and effortless payment experience. PayPay uniquely connects with younger users who might not have access to credit cards. We welcome businesses to explore the potential benefits of integrating PayPay into their platforms.”
