Checkout.com Expands to Japan with Direct Acquiring, Becoming First Global PSP with Local Capabilities

Checkout.com has expanded into Japan with direct acquiring capabilities, becoming the first global payment service provider to offer local payment processing in the Japanese market.

The expansion enables Japanese merchants to accept payments through Checkout.com's platform with higher approval rates and lower costs than cross-border processing, which has historically been the only option for merchants using international payment providers in Japan. Direct local acquiring means transactions are processed within Japan's payment infrastructure rather than being routed through international networks.

Checkout.com has established a physical presence in Tokyo with a new office and appointed a dedicated Country Manager for Japan. The local team will support merchant onboarding, relationship management, and technical integration for Japanese businesses.

Japan represents one of the world's largest e-commerce markets, with consumer spending on online purchases exceeding hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The market has unique payment characteristics, including high usage of convenience store payments, domestic card networks, and bank transfers alongside international card payments.

The Japan launch was part of Checkout.com's broader strategy of adding 30 new payment methods globally in 2024, reflecting its commitment to building a payment platform that supports merchants wherever their customers want to pay. The company has been systematically expanding its direct processing capabilities across key markets to reduce its dependence on third-party processing partners.

Checkout.com's entry into Japan intensifies competition with established local payment processors and other international players seeking to serve the country's large and sophisticated e-commerce sector.