Sending Money from Japan to Singapore: Bank Account or Cash Pickup

Sending money from Japan to Singapore is usually one of the easier corridors.

Singapore has a mature banking system, bank-account delivery is widely supported, and several Japan-side services can handle the route cleanly.

The first question is still simple:

• does the recipient have a Singapore bank account?

If yes, compare bank-account routes first.

If no, cash pickup is possible, but it is usually less clean for long-term fuyou documentation.

The First Split: Bank Account or No Bank Account

Recipient setup	Usually the better route	Why
Recipient has a Singapore bank account	Wise, Revolut, PayForex, or bank wire	Cleaner records and easier repeat transfers
Recipient does not have a bank account	Western Union cash pickup	Practical, but weaker for annual documentation

If the transfer is just personal support, both can work.

If the transfer may later support overseas dependent deduction (fuyou) in Japan, bank-account delivery is usually the cleaner setup.

Why Fuyou Pushes You Toward Bank Delivery

Japan’s National Tax Agency guidance on non-resident dependents focuses on relationship documents and remittance-related documents.

That means the important question is not only whether the money arrived.

It is also:

• does the record clearly show you as sender
• does it clearly show the specific dependent as recipient
• can you produce a clear annual transfer trail if HR or the tax office asks

What the Fees Look Like on a Typical Fuyou Transfer

There is no official NTA “standard fuyou amount,” but ¥380,000 is an important threshold in one common case. For non-resident relatives aged 30 to under 70 who do not fall under the study-abroad or disability exceptions, the NTA requires a 380,000 yen remittance document showing that the total paid to that specific person during the year reached ¥380,000 or more.

So this section uses two examples:

• ¥50,000 as a small monthly family-support transfer
• ¥380,000 as a threshold-style annual transfer when the NTA’s 30-69 support exception applies

This is per dependent. It is not a universal minimum for every overseas relative.

Method	Official fee structure	Practical read for ¥50,000	Biggest extra cost to watch
Wise	Wise shows the live fee and rate before sending, and publicly presents JPY → SGD	Usually the first benchmark for bank-account delivery	Live fee and rate change with timing and amount
Revolut	Revolut lists SGD as supported from Japan. Revolut says no international transfer fee, but Standard users have plan and weekend FX rules	Best checked on a weekday against Wise	SWIFT / intermediary-bank deductions if the transfer routes that way
PayForex	PayForex publishes ¥1,980 for SGD bank transfer or USD bank transfer from JPY 1–599,999	Clear fixed-fee bank route for small recurring support transfers	FX and receiving-bank handling outside PayForex’s own fee
Bank wire (PRESTIA example)	PRESTIA publishes ¥3,500 online transfer fee, plus optional ¥1,500 correspondent-bank-charge instruction	Formal but usually expensive for a small monthly transfer	FX spread and intermediary / beneficiary-bank charges
Western Union direct	Japan-side pricing is quote-based	Check the live quote before sending	Cash convenience may cost more than bank-account routes
Seven Bank + Western Union	Seven Bank’s newer app table shows ¥1,150 for credit-to-account and ¥1,200 for cash pickup at ¥40,001–¥50,000; older ATM/direct-banking tables can differ	Useful if you already use Seven Bank	ATM timing fees and Seven Bank FX margin

For a ¥380,000 threshold-style transfer, the fixed-fee routes read differently:

Method	What changes at ¥380,000
PayForex	The public PayForex fee for SGD bank transfer remains ¥1,980 within the JPY 1–599,999 tier.
Revolut	A single ¥380,000 weekday conversion can exceed the free Standard-plan monthly FX allowance by about ¥80,000, so compare the live Revolut quote against Wise before sending.
Bank wire / PRESTIA	A ¥3,500 transfer fee is expensive on ¥50,000, but less painful on ¥380,000 if you want formal bank records.

Best Setup If the Recipient Has a Singapore Bank Account

Option 1: Wise

Wise has a dedicated public page for sending money from Japan to Singapore, and it presents the route as JPY → SGD.

That makes Wise the first live quote I would check for this corridor.

The appeal is straightforward:

• transparent fee display
• clear exchange-rate presentation
• bank-account delivery
• exportable transfer history

For fuyou, the key is to make sure the recipient name in the export clearly matches the dependent you are claiming.

Option 2: Revolut

Revolut Japan’s official supported outbound-currency page lists SGD as a supported outbound transfer currency.

That makes Singapore one of the Asian corridors where Revolut is genuinely worth comparing.

The practical caveats are:

• avoid weekend FX if possible
• watch monthly plan limits
• check whether the transfer will use local rails or SWIFT
• keep the statement / transfer confirmation for fuyou

Option 3: PayForex

PayForex is also a real Singapore option.

Its public fee table lists:

• ¥1,980 for SGD bank transfer
• ¥1,980 for USD bank transfer
• from JPY 1–599,999

That makes PayForex useful when you want a fixed published fee and a normal bank-account route.

Option 4: Traditional bank wire

If you care more about formal bank records than the lowest fee, a traditional bank wire is still valid.

This usually fits better when:

• the transfer amount is larger
• the transfer is infrequent
• your HR team prefers bank-issued records

PRESTIA’s official overseas remittance page is a useful example of the formal-bank side. The tradeoff is cost: PRESTIA publishes a ¥3,500 online transfer fee, with an optional ¥1,500 correspondent-bank-charge instruction.

Best Setup If the Recipient Does Not Have a Bank Account

If the person in Singapore does not have a bank account, the practical fallback is usually Western Union cash pickup.

Western Union Singapore’s official receive-money page says recipients can receive by:

• bank account, or
• cash pickup at an agent location

For cash pickup, keep the sender name, amount, MTCN, and recipient ID details consistent and well documented.

Seven Bank is another Japan-side doorway into the Western Union network. Its newer app fee table shows ¥1,200 for cash pickup at ¥40,001–¥50,000, while older Seven Bank ATM/direct-banking flows can use different tables.

Which Route Is Better for Fuyou

Route	Fuyou documentation quality	Practical read
Bank transfer to the dependent’s own Singapore account	Best	Cleanest sender / recipient matching
Formal bank wire / bank-issued remittance record	Strong	Helpful if your HR team is conservative
Wise / Revolut transfer with clear recipient detail	Often usable	Good if the export clearly shows names, dates, and amounts
PayForex bank transfer with clear recipient detail	Often usable	Worth checking if you want a fixed published fee
Western Union / Seven Bank cash pickup	Can work, but keep records carefully	Better for access than for elegant annual paperwork

The NTA cares about whether the remittance-related documents are clear enough. It does not endorse one brand over another.

A Simple Recommendation

If the recipient in Singapore has a bank account:

• check Wise first
• compare Revolut on a weekday if you already use it
• compare PayForex if you want a fixed published fee
• use a bank wire if formal records matter more than cost

If the recipient in Singapore does not have a bank account:

• use Western Union cash pickup
• or Seven Bank + Western Union if you already use Seven Bank
• keep every receipt if the transfer may later support fuyou

If your real goal is long-term family support with the least paperwork friction, the cleanest setup is still:

• send to the dependent’s own Singapore bank account whenever possible

Key sources: NTA English guidance on documents for non-resident dependent claims, Wise on sending money from Japan to Singapore, Revolut Japan on supported outbound transfer currencies and exchange fees, PayForex on remittance fees, PRESTIA on overseas remittance, Western Union Singapore on receiving money, and Seven Bank on its international money transfer service and FAQ. Fees, routes, and supported currencies change, so always confirm the live quote before sending.