For the underlying ideas behind A2A payments in general, see real-time A2A payments in depth. For how the Japanese network works, see bank transfers in Japan.
How a yen A2A payin reaches you
1
Customer initiates a transfer
The customer instructs a transfer from their Japanese bank, addressed to the receiving account by bank, branch, account type, account number, and account holder name.
2
Zengin relays the instruction
The customer’s bank sends the transfer data to the Zengin Center, which forwards it to the receiving bank in real time.
3
Funds are credited
The receiving bank credits the account. If the transfer runs during the More Time System’s hours, this happens around the clock; otherwise it follows core business-hour processing.
4
You reconcile the payment
You match the incoming yen payment to the right order or invoice using the reference details attached to the transfer.
How this differs from Australia’s PayID
If you are already familiar with collecting PayID payins in Australia, a few differences are worth noting for Japan.Because the current Japanese flow does not use an alias, getting the account and reference details exactly right matters for smooth processing and clean reconciliation.
Reconciliation tips
Use clear references
Give each customer a specific reference to include with their transfer so you can match payments to orders without guesswork.
Name the receiving account
When you create a JPY payment link in the portal, you can set a custom Account name for the virtual account the customer pays into. Labelling each link makes incoming yen transfers self-identifying.
Account for cash habits
Many Japanese customers still prefer cash or convenience-store payments. Expect A2A to be one option among several, and design your checkout accordingly.
Get the name script right
Japanese account holder names must be in full-width katakana. A name in the wrong script, or over the character limit, can cause the sending bank to reject the transfer.
For the step-by-step version of both points above, see setting the virtual account name on a JPY payment request and the account name validation rules.