Best NISA Brokers for Foreigners in Japan (2026)

How we chose these brokers — 評価基準

We evaluated every major broker in Japan that offers NISA accounts, specifically from the perspective of an English-speaking foreigner. Our criteria:

• English support — is the website, app, or customer service available in English? Can you realistically navigate without fluent Japanese?
• NISA compatibility — does the broker support both つみたて投資枠 and 成長投資枠? Can you access the full range of NISA-eligible funds?
• Trading fees — NISA trades are fee-free at most major brokers now, but we checked for hidden costs (account maintenance fees, transfer fees, currency conversion spreads)
• Fund selection — how many funds are available, and do they include the most popular choices like eMAXIS Slim and other low-cost index funds?
• App quality — is the mobile app reliable, well-designed, and updated regularly?
• Foreigner-friendliness — does the broker have a track record of accepting foreign residents? Do they require kanji name input or can they handle romaji? Have other foreigners successfully opened accounts?

Best overall: SBI Securities — SBI証券

SBI Securities is Japan's largest online broker by account count, with over 13 million accounts and the highest share of NISA accounts in the country. For foreigners, it's the safest default choice — you get the widest fund selection, the lowest fees, and steadily improving English support.

NISA trading fees at SBI are completely free — ¥0 for all NISA-eligible stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts. Outside of NISA, SBI also moved to zero-commission trading in 2023 with their "ゼロ革命" initiative.

The fund selection is unmatched: over 2,600 investment trusts are available, including all the popular eMAXIS Slim series, SBI's own V-series (SBI・V・S&P500, SBI・V・全世界株式), and international ETFs. For つみたて投資枠 specifically, SBI offers 200+ approved funds — more than any other broker.

English support is partial but improving. The main website is Japanese, but SBI has been adding English-language pages for key features. The customer service phone line has limited English support, and the account opening process can be completed in Japanese with the help of a translation app. The mobile app (SBI証券 株アプリ) is Japanese-only, though it's well-designed and navigable once you learn the key buttons.

The SBI ecosystem also offers advantages: linking your account to 住信SBIネット銀行 gives you instant transfers and a better foreign exchange rate for buying US stocks. And SBI's Vポイント integration lets you earn points on credit card contributions (三井住友カード).

Best for Rakuten users: Rakuten Securities — 楽天証券

Rakuten Securities is Japan's second-largest online broker and the strongest competitor to SBI. If you're already embedded in the Rakuten ecosystem — using Rakuten Card, Rakuten Bank, Rakuten Mobile, or shopping on Rakuten Ichiba — then Rakuten Securities is the natural choice. The points integration alone can be worth tens of thousands of yen per year.

Like SBI, NISA trading fees are ¥0. The fund selection is comparable — over 2,500 investment trusts including all eMAXIS Slim funds, plus Rakuten's own competitive offerings (楽天・オールカントリー株式インデックス・ファンド and 楽天・S&P500インデックス・ファンド, both with rock-bottom expense ratios).

The standout feature is Rakuten Points. You earn points by investing via Rakuten Card (credit card contributions up to ¥100,000/month earn 0.5-1% back in points), and you can use Rakuten Points to buy investments — including NISA contributions. If you spend heavily on Rakuten services, the points stack up fast and your SPU (Super Points Up) multiplier increases.

Linking to 楽天銀行 (Rakuten Bank) via マネーブリッジ is seamless: instant transfers, automatic sweeping, and a boosted savings rate on your bank balance. Many foreigners already have Rakuten Bank since it's one of the easier banks to open online.

The downside: English support is minimal. The website, app, and customer service are all in Japanese. The app (iSPEED) is well-designed but entirely in Japanese. If you're comfortable navigating Japanese interfaces or can use your phone's built-in translation, this won't be a problem. If you need English hand-holding, SBI or Monex may be better starting points.

Best for international stocks: Interactive Brokers — インタラクティブ・ブローカーズ証券

Interactive Brokers (IB) is the go-to for experienced investors who want access to global markets beyond what Japanese domestic brokers offer. Through IB Japan, you get access to stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and bonds across 150+ markets in 34 countries, all from a single account — and yes, they support NISA.

The biggest advantage for foreigners: full English support. The website, trading platform (Trader Workstation), mobile app, and customer service are all available in English. If you've used IB in another country, the experience is familiar. For foreigners who are frustrated by navigating Japanese-only brokerage interfaces, IB removes that barrier completely.

IB's NISA support covers both つみたて投資枠 and 成長投資枠, though the fund selection for つみたて is more limited than SBI or Rakuten. Where IB shines is the 成長投資枠: you can buy individual US stocks (Apple, Google, etc.), European stocks, Asian stocks, and international ETFs directly — not through Japanese-domiciled mutual funds, but the actual foreign-listed securities.

The drawbacks: IB's interface is complex and built for active traders. If you just want to set up a simple monthly investment into an index fund, the learning curve is overkill. Trading fees, while competitive globally, are not zero for NISA trades (IB charges their standard commission schedule). And the minimum activity requirements and account structure may feel heavy for a passive investor.

Best for: experienced investors who want to buy international stocks directly in NISA's 成長投資枠, or foreigners who prioritize a fully English-language experience over the lowest possible costs.

Best English support: Monex Securities — マネックス証券

Monex Securities is Japan's third-largest online broker and has historically been the most foreigner-friendly among the domestic Japanese brokers. Through its integration with TradeStation (a US trading platform Monex acquired), it offers a unique hybrid: a Japanese broker with genuine English-language trading tools.

NISA trading fees are ¥0 for Japanese stocks and investment trusts. Monex offers over 1,700 investment trusts for NISA, including the full eMAXIS Slim lineup. The fund selection is slightly smaller than SBI or Rakuten but covers all the popular choices that most investors actually use.

Where Monex stands out is US stock trading. They offer access to over 5,000 US-listed stocks and ETFs, and US stock purchases in NISA's 成長投資枠 are commission-free (実質無料 through a cashback program). If your investment strategy is US-stock heavy, Monex is arguably the best domestic broker for that.

English customer service is available via phone and email, and the TradeStation trading interface is fully in English. The main Monex website and standard app (マネックストレーダー) are Japanese, but the TradeStation app provides an English alternative for actual trading. The account opening process itself is in Japanese, similar to other domestic brokers.

Monex also offers dポイント integration (NTT Docomo's point system) — if you're a Docomo user, you can earn and use dポイント for investments, similar to Rakuten's point system.

Full comparison table — 証券会社比較表

Here's how all five brokers stack up side by side. Use this to quickly compare the factors that matter most to you.

How to open a NISA account — 口座開設の流れ

The process is essentially the same across all brokers. Here's what to expect:

For a detailed walkthrough with screenshots and tips for each broker, see our Complete NISA Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions — よくある質問