Opening a brokerage account in Japan as a foreigner

Yes: foreigners can buy stocks in Japan if they live here. Japanese online brokers (証券会社) open accounts for residents of any nationality. Permanent residency is not required. You need your residence card (在留カード) and your My Number (マイナンバー). Some brokers also want time left on your card: at least 2 months at SBI Securities, 3 months at Rakuten Securities. Non-residents cannot open an account. Rules as of October 2026, from each broker’s own pages.

Can foreigners open a brokerage account in Japan?

Yes. Every broker we checked accepts foreign nationals who live in Japan. Matsui Securities (松井証券) puts it plainly: you must live in Japan, and “nationality does not matter” (国籍は問いません). Monex (マネックス証券) says the same in its FAQ.

What they all exclude is non-residents. SBI Securities (SBI証券) limits accounts to residents (居住者) under the Income Tax Act. If you live abroad, you cannot open one.

For tax, a resident is someone whose home (住所) is in Japan, or who has lived in Japan for a year or more, according to the National Tax Agency (国税庁). Our tax residency guide explains the test.

What do brokers require from foreign residents?

“Not stated” means the broker’s page did not give a number, not that there is no check.

Your My Number is needed everywhere. SBI says securities-account holders must provide it under tax law. If you have the new specific residence card (特定在留カード), which combines the residence card and My Number card, 三菱UFJ eスマート証券 accepts one copy of it as both documents. See our My Number card guide.

Also check that the name and address on your card match your application. SBI requires them to match, and it does not accept health insurance cards as ID.

Do I need to speak Japanese?

At Matsui, yes. Its account rules require that you can communicate in Japanese, because it cannot reliably explain or support in other languages and its legal documents are only in Japanese.

The other Japanese brokers don’t state a language rule, but the account-opening and departure pages we used for SBI, Rakuten, Monex and 三菱UFJ eスマート証券 are in Japanese. Interactive Brokers Securities Japan publishes its document list and account pages in English.

Words you will see on the forms:

• 証券総合口座: the main securities account
• 特定口座 (tokutei account): an account where the broker calculates your tax
• 源泉徴収あり / なし: with or without tax withheld
• 一般口座: a general account, where you calculate tax yourself
• 非居住者: non-resident

Can US citizens open a brokerage account in Japan?

Usually you can open one, but you can’t buy much. Japanese brokers restrict US persons: US citizens, green-card holders and US residents.

• SBI Securities restricts new purchases of all foreign stocks, all investment trusts, foreign-currency MMFs, most bonds (Japanese-issued bonds such as JGBs excepted), and US-domiciled ETFs and stocks listed in Tokyo (table dated March 2022). If you haven’t registered your nationality, SBI applies the same limits.
• Rakuten Securities blocks all foreign stocks for US persons, because it is not registered to do securities business in the US.
• Monex says people with US tax obligations cannot open a foreign-stock account or trade foreign stocks, foreign funds or foreign bonds, and must apply by mail.

SBI and Rakuten count you as a US resident if you spent 183 days or more in the US, counting a third of last year’s days and a sixth of the year before. Japan’s NISA does not remove US tax or reporting duties: see our NISA guide and ask a US-qualified tax adviser.

How are stock gains taxed in a Japanese account?

Gains on listed shares are taxed at 20.315% as of October 2026: 15.315% income tax (including the reconstruction surtax) and 5% resident tax.

Most residents pick a tokutei account with withholding (特定口座・源泉徴収あり). The broker calculates your gains and withholds the tax, so in principle you don’t have to file a tax return for them. You still file if you want to offset gains with another broker or carry a loss forward, SBI says. You choose withholding for each year before your first sale that year.

With 源泉徴収なし, you must file a return if you made a gain, using the broker’s annual report (特定口座年間取引報告書).

The breakdown changes on 1 January 2027: the National Tax Agency says the reconstruction surtax falls from 2.1% to 1.1% of the income tax, and a new defense special income tax (防衛特別所得税) of 1% of the income tax is withheld with it. On the 15% income tax that works out to 0.165% plus 0.15%, so the withheld total stays 15.315% income tax plus 5% resident tax.

What happens to my account when I leave Japan?

This is where brokers differ most. They restrict non-residents: SBI, Rakuten and Matsui say they are not licensed to do securities business in other countries.

If you leave without telling the broker, it may act for you. SBI says it may sell or settle your holdings at its discretion if you become a non-resident without completing the procedure.

NISA has its own rules: only a job transfer abroad (or joining a transferred spouse) lets you keep it. See NISA for foreigners and our leaving Japan checklist. The brokers don’t give tax advice for your time abroad, so ask a 税理士 if you hold large positions.

Which broker should a foreigner choose?

We don’t rank brokers here. Check three things first:

1. Time left on your residence card. With under 3 months, Rakuten tells you to renew first; with under 2 months, SBI won’t accept the card either.
2. Language. If you can’t handle Japanese, Matsui is out; Interactive Brokers Japan has English pages but no tokutei account.
3. Nationality and plans. US persons face product limits at SBI, Rakuten and Monex. If you may leave within a few years, read each broker’s departure rule before you invest.

More guides

Saving for retirement? See iDeCo for foreigners. Investing tax-free? Read NISA for foreigners. Not sure if you are a tax resident? See Japan tax residency for foreigners.