For business people and travelers, it is getting easier to make digital transactions in the Land of the Rising Sun. Bank Indonesia (BI) has officially launched a cross-border Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) with Japan, which took effect August 25, 2025.
The launch of this cross-border QR code-based digital payment system continues the QRIS Cross Border expansion series. Previously, QRIS could already be used in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and China.
Fira Abdurachman, 48, a fan of traveling abroad, feels the benefits of using QRIS Cross Border. According to Fira, using QRIS Cross Border is simpler, if you go abroad it is more comfortable and safer.
Some big restaurants in Thailand and Supermarkets in Malaysia can already use QRIS from Indonesia and this is very helpful.
"QRIS Cross Border is the best, helping true travelers to go everywhere," he said.
"QRIS Cross Border is the best, helping true travelers to go everywhere," said Fira Abdurrahman.
This QRIS expansion step is taken as part of the strategy to strengthen economic ties through digital financing connectivity.
The use of QRIS can be done at participating merchants by scanning the Global JPQR through the domestic payment application without the need to exchange for foreign currency.
In the initial stage, the use of QRIS applies to 35 merchants in Japan. The range of merchants will continue to be expanded, making it easier for Indonesians to make transactions.
Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Perry Warjiyo said, the inauguration of the use of QRIS in Japan is a continuation of cooperation with Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
"This cooperation is a strong commitment to a shared vision of strengthening economic relations not only physically, but also through digital integration. That way, bilateral transactions in the future will take place more simply and seamlessly," Perry said at the High Level Campaign LCT and Launching QRIS Cross Border Indonesia-Japan event in Jakarta (25/8).
QRIS or Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard was first introduced on August 17, 2019, and officially used nationally since January 1, 2020. Basically, QRIS is a QR code-based digital payment standard that facilitates transactions by simply scanning barcodes, without the need for physical cards or cash.
In its development, Bank Indonesia launched QRIS between countries. Namely, a cross-border payment system that allows Indonesian tourists to transact directly at overseas merchants with rupiah.
The launch of the Indonesia-Japan QRIS implementation is more than just facilitating daily payment transactions, but also reflects the strengthening of Indonesia-Japan economic relations and supports the formation of a more robust digital payment ecosystem.
The successful implementation of the Indonesia-Japan QRIS is the result of close collaboration between Bank Indonesia, the Indonesian Payment System Association (ASPI), the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), the Payment Japan Association (PJA), Netstars, and financial institutions from both countries.
According to Bank Indonesia data released in mid-July, the volume of digital payment transactions through QRIS in the second quarter of 2025 grew 148.50% year on year (YoY).
This increase helped drive the total volume of national digital transactions, which reached 11.67 billion transactions.
In addition to QRIS, transaction volume through mobile applications rose 32.16% YoY, and transactions via internet banking grew 6.95% YoY. Payment system infrastructure is also getting more solid: BI-FAST processed 1.12 billion transactions with a value of IDR 2,788 trillion, while BI-RTGS recorded transactions worth IDR 47,481 trillion.
Meanwhile, until June 2025, the implementation of QRIS between countries has shown significant results. Intercountry QRIS cooperation with Thailand has reached 994,890 transactions with a nominal value of IDR 437.54 billion since its launch in August 2022.
The transaction volume of QRIS between Indonesia and Malaysia has reached 4.31 million transactions with a nominal value of Rp 1.15 trillion since its launch in May 2023. QRIS between Indonesia and Singapore, which was launched on November 17, 2023, has also recorded 238,216 transactions with a nominal value of IDR 77.06 billion.
High commitment
Bank Central Asia (BCA) Chief Economist David Sumual explained that the implementation of the Indonesia-Japan Cross Border QR is a tangible form of Indonesia and Japan's commitment to supporting digital payments.
The need for payment systems between countries is needed along with the increase in transactions and the influence of globalization.
"A lot of Indonesians like to travel to Japan, with the implementation of this Cross Border QR making payments easier," he told SUAR in Jakarta (25/8).
He said the implementation of QRIS between these countries not only facilitates transactions, but also builds an inclusive digital economy - especially for tourists.
Provide convenience for Indonesian tourists
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Indonesian Payment System Association (ASPI) Santoso said, the launch of the Indonesia-Japan cross-border QRIS provides convenience to Indonesian tourists who want to vacation in Japan.
Indonesian tourists no longer need to bother exchanging money. They can directly use QRIS in transactions.
"The most obvious impact of this collaboration is the convenience for Indonesian tourists, they are more happy on vacation to Japan," Santoso told SUAR in Jakarta (25/8/2025).
He explained that with Asia's economic growth continuing to grow, financial transactions are also increasing rapidly, allowing for the exchange of QRIS.
The potential use of QRIS can be seen from the large number of foreign tourist visits from Japan to Indonesia. Citing data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of foreign tourists from Japan in June 2025 reached 29,569 people. This figure increased by 13.85% on an annual basis. They spent an average of 6.64 days in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, destinations to Japan accounted for 3.64% of Indonesia's total overseas tourist arrivals.
In addition to data on Japanese foreign tourists to Indonesia and vice versa, the great potential of QRIS to Japan can be seen from the rapid trade between the two countries.
Based on data from the Ministry of Trade, total Indonesia-Japan trade in the January-June 2025 period reached US$ 15,611 million. This consists of an export value of US$ 8.123 million and an import value of US$ 7.487 million.
The details are as follows; oil and gas trade value reached US$ 1,014 million, non-oil and gas reached US$ 14,596 million. Oil and gas exports reached US$ 1.000 million and non-oil and gas reached US$ 7.121 million, while oil and gas imports reached US$ 12,000 and non-oil and gas reached US$ 7.47 million.
