Apple bringing Apple Pay to Japan in October

Apple says it will be bringing Apple Pay to Japan, after adding support for FeliCa technology in its iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus that enables tap-to-pay capabilities in the country. It’s expected to roll out starting on October 7.

As first reported by Bloomberg last month, by incorporating FeliCa into the popular smartphones, Apple is enabling customers to pay for transit fares along with goods and services using Apple Pay. It’s said that there are 1.9 million payment terminals in Japan that support the FeliCa standard, which gives Apple a big foothold in a country filled with lots of transportation options.

Apple Pay can also be used in places that accept Suica from JR East, including buying and reloading their card or commuter pass.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a statement, “We’re incredibly excited to bring iPhone 7 to customers in Japan so they can experience the magic of Apple Pay. Apple Pay will transform your daily routine, from making your commute easier and more convenient than ever with Suica right on your iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2, to using your favorite cards to make secure and private purchases with a single touch.”

All three of these devices support FeliCa Type-F NFC contactless technology, which is used in more than 160 million transactions across Japan. Other credit and prepaid cards that work with Apple Pay include AEON, Credit Saison, JCB, Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, Orient Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, Toyota Finance, UC Cards, and View Card, as well as carriers KDDI, NTT Docomo, and Softbank.

In conjunction with this announcement, Apple will also roll out transit information in Japan on its Apple Maps product.

Since launching in 2014, Apple Pay has become available in the U.S., Canada, China, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, U.K., and now Japan.