Send Money from Australia to Japan

Measured on the full cost — the transfer fee plus the exchange-rate margin — Wise is cheapest on this corridor at A$1,000, across the 2 providers we hold checked figures for. The cheapest provider also changes with the amount you send, so compare the final sum that arrives in Japanese yens rather than the headline fee.

At A$1,000, Wise is the cheapest of the 2 providers priced at that amount on this corridor: about A$6.34 all in, or 0.63% of the amount sent. Remitly is next at about A$26.79. That is the fee plus the exchange-rate margin that applied to a transfer of that size — priced at A$1,000 specifically, not worked out from a measurement taken at some other amount. It covers a bank transfer; cash pickup and mobile wallet payouts are priced separately. The margins were measured by Wise's comparison service rather than published by the providers themselves, and other providers here may be cheaper and are not priced this way.

Most transfers on this corridor arrive within one to three business days. Paying by debit card is generally faster than a bank transfer, and transfers initiated outside banking hours may not begin processing until the next working day.

Across the providers we compare, the available payout methods are bank deposit and cash pickup. The most widely used options in Japan are bank deposit, including Japan Post Bank, plus limited cash pickup. Japan Post Bank has the country's largest account network, which makes it an unusually important payout destination for a developed market. Not every provider supports every method, so check the table above before you commit.

No. Remitly offer cash pickup in Japan, so your recipient can collect the funds with valid photo ID and the transfer reference number. That said, bank deposit, including Japan Post Bank, plus limited cash pickup generally cost less than cash collection.

Providers rarely give you the mid-market rate — the reference rate you see on Google or Reuters. Instead they add a margin, typically between 0.4% and 4%, and keep the difference. That margin is often larger than the visible transfer fee, which is why a "no fee" service can still be more expensive overall. For AUD to JPY, compare the quoted rate against the mid-market rate to see the real spread you are paying.

Yes, provided you use a licensed provider. Every service listed on this page is regulated in Australia under AUSTRAC, which requires safeguarding of customer funds and identity verification. Send only to people you know personally, keep your transfer reference private, and be sceptical of anyone pressuring you to send money urgently to someone you have not met.

Yes. Each provider sets its own transfer limits, which vary by how much identity verification you have completed and how you pay. Larger transfers may require additional documentation such as proof of source of funds. For transfers above roughly A$10,000, a specialist foreign-exchange broker will often beat an app on rate.

Japan's banking is unusually regional and Remitly's coverage reflects it: more than 50 named institutions including Japan Post Bank and a long list of prefectural banks. Wise reaches a local account generally. If your recipient banks with a regional institution rather than one of the megabanks, that named list is worth checking. Remitly's promotional rate covers only the first 500 AUD here — its lowest cap on any Australian corridor, and a third of what it offers on the United States or the United Kingdom. Western Union carries no row here. Its Australian page for this corridor was not among those we could read, so treat its absence as unchecked rather than unavailable.