# Closing your Japanese bank account when you leave Japan

URL: https://japanhow.com/money/banking/close-bank-account-leaving-japan/
Author: JapanHow editors
Updated: Oct 26, 2026

## Summary

As of October 2026, if you are leaving Japan for good, close your Japanese bank account before you go. Japan Post Bank and Sony Bank say customers who leave Japan should or must close their accounts, and MUFG's app cannot close accounts for people living abroad. Bring your residence card, passbook or cash card, and registered seal. If you cannot finish in time, Japan Post Bank allows closing through a proxy with a handwritten power of attorney. Never sell your account: it is a crime.

## Key facts

- Japan Post Bank: Asks you to close when you leave
- Sony Bank: Must close if you leave permanently
- MUFG app: Not available if you live abroad
- Selling an account: Up to 1 year or ¥1 million (leaflet)

If you are leaving Japan for good, **close your bank account before you go**. As of October 2026, Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) asks foreign customers to close accounts when they leave Japan, and Sony Bank (ソニー銀行) says customers who leave permanently must close theirs. The University of Tokyo says accounts cannot be closed from overseas. Bring your residence card (在留カード), your passbook or cash card, and your registered seal if you have one.

## Do I have to close my bank account when I leave Japan?

Banks set their own rules, and the three we checked lean the same way.

- **Japan Post Bank:** Its page for foreign customers says to close your account when you move out of Japan. Its FAQ says it has no way to send notices abroad, so it asks you to close wherever possible.
- **Sony Bank:** Its notice says accounts are for people living in Japan, and customers leaving permanently must close them. Its closure page, however, says basic yen and foreign currency deposits and transfers remain usable after an overseas address change. The two pages differ, so ask Sony Bank before you decide.
- **A shinkin bank (Sawayaka Shinkin):** It tells customers who leave Japan, for example to return home, to close the account.

We found no official page on leaving Japan for SMBC, Mizuho, Rakuten Bank or Resona. Check your bank's Japanese and English pages or ask at the counter.

## Can I keep the account if I still need it?

Sometimes. Japan Post Bank's FAQ says you can keep an account after filing a non-resident notice (非居住者の届出), for example if your salary will still be paid in. Deposits, withdrawals and balance checks then go through a third party, and you can set up a usage proxy (利用代理人) at the counter. The FAQ is dated 2020, so confirm the current procedure with the bank.

If you keep an account, expect checks. Banks check your period of stay (在留期間). Sawayaka Shinkin says it may restrict some transactions if the period you declared passes without a renewed card. Japan Post Bank says the same if you do not report a renewal or address change.

**Do not sell or hand over your account:** Selling or giving away a passbook or cash card is a crime under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds (犯罪による収益の移転防止に関する法律). Saitama Prefectural Police list the penalty as up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to ¥1 million. Their leaflet also says the time limit stops when you leave Japan, so you can be charged when you re-enter. A news report says the Cabinet approved a bill on 3 April 2026 to raise the penalty to 3 years or ¥5 million; we could not confirm from an official source whether it is in force.

## How do I close the account? Step by step

Kyoto University warns that a passbook-less account with no registered signature or seal must be registered at a post office before you file the moving-out notification (転出届), or you cannot use a proxy later.

## What do I bring to the counter?

| Bank | What to bring | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Japan Post Bank | Passbook, cash card, registered seal, ID such as a driver's license or My Number card | Residence card or passport also appear in Kyoto University's guidance |
| MUFG Bank | Passbook (if issued), registered seal, cash card (if issued); ID may be needed | Counter, no reservation |
| Sony Bank | No counter visit: log in and use the online closing page with your token | Close linked products first |

At Japan Post Bank, closing is done at a post office savings counter or at the bank. If you hold investment trusts there, close the investment trust and specific accounts first.

At MUFG you can also close in the app if the balance is ¥0, but not if you live outside Japan, or if you have investment trusts, foreign currency deposits or a loan. Closing it also removes MUFG Direct, the cash card and MUFG Debit.

At Sony Bank, time deposits, foreign currency deposits, funds, FX and unpaid Visa Debit items must be settled first. Some fixed-term products cannot be cancelled early, so closing waits until they mature. If your balance is above your daily transfer limit, raise the limit first.

## Can I close my account after I have left Japan?

Plan as if you cannot. The University of Tokyo says Japanese accounts, including Japan Post Bank, cannot be closed from overseas. MUFG's app is closed to people living abroad.

Japan Post Bank is the route we could document. Kyoto University's guidance describes closing through a proxy (代理人):

1. You write a power of attorney (委任状) entirely by hand, listing both your Japanese address and your home address.
2. The signature or seal must match what the bank has registered.
3. The university advises checking the form at the post office counter before you leave, because errors are hard to fix after you return home.
4. Your proxy brings their own seal and ID, plus a copy of an official document showing your overseas address.

Your proxy does not need to be Japanese, but the counter explanation is in Japanese, so they must understand it well. This guidance comes from a university, not the bank, so confirm the current form and documents with Japan Post Bank first.

## What about the pension refund and other money?

If you plan to claim the pension refund, you need an account that can receive it. The Japan Pension Service says Japan Post Bank and some internet-only banks cannot receive the pension refund, so give an overseas account. See the [Japan pension refund guide](/money/pension/pension-refund-japan/) for the claim, and the [leaving Japan checklist](/visa/leaving/leaving-japan-checklist/) for resident tax, the moving-out notification and other steps.

For advice on your own tax or visa situation, ask a licensed tax accountant (税理士) or immigration specialist (行政書士).

## More guides

- [Leaving Japan checklist](/visa/leaving/leaving-japan-checklist/)
- [Japan pension refund](/money/pension/pension-refund-japan/)
- [Bank accounts for foreigners in Japan](/money/banking/bank-account-for-foreigners-japan/)
- [Sending money from Japan](/money/remittance/send-money-from-japan/)
- [Resident tax for foreigners](/money/tax/resident-tax-japan-foreigners/)

## Questions people ask

### Can I close my Japanese bank account from overseas?

Mostly no. The University of Tokyo tells students that Japanese accounts, including Japan Post Bank, cannot be closed from overseas, and MUFG's app excludes people living abroad. Japan Post Bank is the exception we found: a proxy in Japan can close it with your handwritten power of attorney.

### Do I have to close my bank account when I leave Japan?

It depends on the bank. Japan Post Bank asks you to close it, and Sony Bank says you must if you leave Japan permanently. Japan Post Bank allows a non-resident account in some cases, such as salary deposits. Ask your own bank before you leave.

### What happens if I leave my account open and don't use it?

Banks check the period of stay on your residence card and may restrict transactions if it lapses without a renewal. We found no official source on fees or dormant-account rules at the major banks, so ask your bank.

### Can I give or sell my account to a friend?

No. Selling or handing over a passbook or cash card is a crime under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds. Saitama Prefectural Police warn that the time limit stops when you leave Japan, so you can be charged when you come back.

### Which bank account should I keep for the pension refund?

Use an overseas account. The Japan Pension Service says Japan Post Bank and some internet-only banks cannot receive the refund. See our pension refund guide for the claim steps.

## Sources

- [口座を開設される外国人のお客さまへ](https://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/kaisetu/kat_gaikokujin.html), Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [海外に長期赴任予定ですが、ゆうちょ銀行の口座はそのまま保有してもよいですか。](https://faq.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/faq_detail.html?id=819), Japan Post Bank FAQ (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [通常貯金の口座を解約する場合、必要な持ち物は何ですか。](https://faq.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/faq_detail.html?id=10026), Japan Post Bank FAQ (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [かんたん手続アプリ 口座解約](https://www.bk.mufg.jp/tsukau/app/syotodoke/help/kaiyaku.html), MUFG Bank (三菱UFJ銀行) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [在留期間の更新について](https://sonybank.jp/inquiry/notice/residence.html), Sony Bank (ソニー銀行) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [口座解約の手続き](https://sonybank.jp/guide/support/closure/), Sony Bank (ソニー銀行) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [在留外国人のお客さまへ (December 2025)](https://www.shinkin.co.jp/sawayaka/important/upload_pdf/20251201_01.pdf), Sawayaka Shinkin Bank (さわやか信用金庫) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [Leaflet: it's a crime to buy or sell cash cards and bank accounts](https://www.police.pref.saitama.lg.jp/documents/1557/kouzabaibaieng.pdf), Saitama Prefectural Police (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [銀行口座に関するお知らせ](https://kuiso.oc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/wp-content/themes/kuiso/filesdir/files/life/notice_on_bank-accounts_ja.pdf), Kyoto University (university guidance, secondary) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [Daily life: bank accounts](https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/ja/life-daily-bc.html), University of Tokyo (university guidance, secondary) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)