90% of Chain Convenience Stores in Japan Accept UnionPay Credit Cards

          After all 7-11, Lawson, FamilyMart and Circle K Sunkus chain stores in Japan have accepted UnionPay cards, cardholders can now use UnionPay debit cards and credit cards at over 2,000 local MINISTOP convenience stores. This means that 90% of the chain convenience stores in Japan support payments with UnionPay cards.

          According to the statistics released by Japan National Tourism Organization, more and more tourists are visiting Japan. In the first 7 months this year, Japan received 11.1 million foreign tourists, marking a 48% year-on-year growth. The majority of these tourists are from Mainland China, and Hong Kong, South Korea and Southeast Asia countries are also major tourist sources for Japan. Since these countries and regions have issued UnionPay cards in large scale, many merchants in Japan are trying to attract more tourists by accepting UnionPay cards.

          Since the end of last year, UnionPay International has been expanding its acceptance footprint in Japan's daily consumption places, and has enabled the five major convenience store chains to accept UnionPay cards. Now, MINISTOP accepts both UnionPay debit cards and credit cards, and PIN is required when paying. 7-11, Lawson, FamilyMart and Circle K Sunkus accept UnionPay credit cards through no-PIN verification, which is a local practice. When paying less than 10,000 Yen with UnionPay credit cards, no PIN or signature is required; and when paying more than 10,000 Yen, cardholders only need to sign. To ensure card-using security, UnionPay International, in cooperation with issuers and acquirers, provides risk monitoring and abnormal transaction warning and control, and issuers inform cardholders of transactions via short messages.

          It is very convenient not only to pay but also to withdraw cash with UnionPay cards in Japan. All the ATMs in 7-11 and Lawson, and over half of the ATMs in FamilyMart, as well as Aeon Bank ATMs in MINISTOP accept UnionPay cards for cash withdrawal. These chain convenient stores can be found all across Japan.

          UnionPay service system has covered both online and offline in Japan. About 500,000 local merchants and over half of the ATMs accept UnionPay cards, and Rakuten Global Market website supports UnionPay Online Payment. Taking advantage of its acceptance environment and service capability, UnionPay International is accelerating the localization of its business by issuing UnionPay credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards in Japan. These cards are frequently used locally and globally.