Credit score in Japan: CIC, JICC and why foreigners get declined

There is no single credit score in Japan that every lender uses. As of October 2026, your history sits at three credit bureaus (信用情報機関), and each card company, carrier or bank decides with its own criteria. The closest thing to a score is CIC’s Credit Guidance index, from 200 to 800, which you see when you request your report (¥500 online). Most newcomers have an empty Japanese file, because history from your home country isn’t in it.

Does Japan have a credit score?

Not in the way the US or UK does. The bureaus record facts: your contracts, your payments and your applications. CIC says it has no list called a “blacklist”. It registers objective facts, such as a late payment.

CIC also calculates an index (指数) under its Credit Guidance (クレジット・ガイダンス) service:

• It runs from 200 to 800 and comes with up to 4 reasons that affected it.
• It uses only your transaction facts in five areas: payment status, balances, number of contracts, contract length and number of applications. Age, income, employer and where you live are left out.
• Member companies you have applied to or hold a contract with can see it too.
• CIC won’t say what index passes screening. Each company decides with its own criteria.

Which credit bureaus are there in Japan?

The three share some data. Through a network called CRIN, all three exchange delinquency records and reports of lost or stolen ID. CIC and JICC also share loan balances and applications.

Still, each report only shows what that bureau holds, so to see everything you request each one separately.

What do the bureaus record, and for how long?

CIC keeps three kinds of records from its members:

The report shows your last 24 months of payments as symbols. “$” means paid as billed. “A” means not paid by the due date.

A delinquency (異動) is the serious mark. CIC’s English guide says it appears when a payment is more than 61 days or 3 months late, when a guarantee company pays for you, or when bankruptcy starts. It stays until the end of the retention period even after you pay.

JICC uses the same pattern for contracts from 1 October 2019: during the contract and within 5 years after it ends, applications for 6 months. The Zenginkyo center keeps records for up to 5 years from the contract’s end, or from the date you finish repaying if you haven’t paid in full. Bankruptcy notices stay there for up to 7 years.

Utility bills are different. CIC says bills paid straight from your bank account aren’t credit contracts and aren’t registered. Bills paid by credit card are part of your card contract, so a late card payment is.

How do I check my credit report in Japan?

Request disclosure (開示) from each bureau. None offers an English report. CIC publishes an English PDF that explains how to read one.

Online needs a My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) with a valid electronic certificate and a smartphone. For CIC, you also call from the phone number you gave your credit companies, and pay by PayPay, Rakuten Pay, credit card or carrier billing. The fee is charged even if CIC finds nothing.

By mail, each bureau asks for two documents:

1. An original certificate of residence (住民票), seal registration certificate or 戸籍の附票, issued within the last 3 months and showing your current address. For most people this is a 住民票, which you can get at the city office or a convenience store.
2. A copy of a second ID, such as your residence card (在留カード), My Number Card (front only) or driver’s license.

Only documents issued in Japan count: JICC and the Zenginkyo center exclude documents from foreign governments, and CIC accepts only Japanese public documents. The report goes by restricted delivery (本人限定受取郵便) to the address on your certificate, with no forwarding.

Why do foreigners get declined for credit cards and phone installments?

The bureaus don’t decide. CIC says it does no screening and can’t tell you why you were refused. Issuers’ own guides list the usual reasons for foreign applicants:

• No history. An empty file tells the issuer nothing. Overseas history isn’t in it: CIC only holds contracts with its member companies.
• Little time left on your stay. Saison lists a short stay in Japan as a reason, and its international card needs a residence card valid 6 months or more. SoftBank won’t sell a phone in installments that run past your period of stay, and docomo says its installments may not be available.
• Unstable or low income. Saison says this can count against you. Sumitomo Mitsui Card says screening looks at your personal details and credit information and may include a call to your employer.
• Several applications at once. Both issuers say applying for several cards in a short time can count against you. Each one stays on your CIC file for 6 months. Sumitomo Mitsui Card suggests waiting at least 6 months before reapplying.
• Mistakes on the form. Use the same name as on your residence card or passport. Saison says struggling with Japanese on its screening call may count against you.

Sumitomo Mitsui Card also suggests setting the cash advance limit (キャッシング枠) to ¥0 when you apply.

How do I build credit history in Japan?

CIC’s tips for a better index are simple: pay by the due date, don’t overuse your cards or card cash advances, and keep your contracts going. In its examples, people at 690 had paid every bill on time. They used 3.5% of their card limits on average, against 27.1% for people at 480.

Bank account options for newcomers are in our bank accounts for foreigners guide. If a credit card is refused, a debit card works for daily spending, and our credit card comparison lists cards with published rules for foreign residents.

What happens to my credit record if I leave Japan with unpaid bills?

Your record doesn’t leave with you. CIC and JICC keep contract records during the contract and for 5 years after it ends. The Zenginkyo center counts its 5 years from the day you finish repaying if a debt is unpaid.

Phone installments don’t stop when you cancel your line. SoftBank says the monthly payments continue and late payments may be registered with a credit bureau. Card issuers want the balance cleared too: EPOS, for example, asks you to cancel before you leave Japan and won’t cancel a card with a balance.

If you might come back, on a new visa or for permanent residency, a delinquency could follow you into a phone contract, a card or a mortgage application. Pay off installments before you go, or keep paying them. Our leaving Japan checklist covers the other steps.

If you are dealing with a debt you can’t repay, talk to a lawyer (弁護士) or judicial scrivener (司法書士) rather than leaving it.

More guides: phone contracts for foreigners, credit cards for foreigners, debit cards, mortgages without permanent residency.