I've been meaning to write this since they frantically closed my account after I opened it, and then stonewalled me away like a criminal, but I wanted to make sure other banks didn't engage in the same treatment of foreigners. Since they haven't, here is the report.
I attempted to open an account at a branch of Shinsei bank several weeks ago. I was motivated to go to Shinsei first, since everywhere on the internet was recommending it as being 'the easiest for foreigners'.
I went there, no one spoke English but I managed to open an account smoothly enough, and left with my ATM card. "Job done" so I thought...
I then arrived at the guesthouse I was staying at, and was told they had both called (I used their number to open the account since I had no Japanese phone number, which they accepted due to the logical dilemma of a mobile phone plan usually needing a bank account), and that a bank manager had then come in person to find me. The landlord said they would ring again later.
When they did, they frantically explained to me that they were closing the account immediately, and asked when they could come to my place to collect the ATM card. By 'frantically', I mean with the same tone and sense of urgency one might say "this building is about to collapse, evacuate immediately". I responded that I can come and drop it off (obviously so I could argue with them about it in person), and she made me commit to a specific time I would do so.
I then called the Shinsei bank English-speaking hotline. To my disbelief, this hotline specifically prevents IP phone calls (skype etc), by requiring you to press and hold the * button on a landline phone to confirm you are using a landline or standard mobile phone. Well most foreigners do not have such a phone. SIM cards are denied to non residents (and the easy-going "prepaid SIM at the airport" taken for granted in pretty much every other country doesn't exist), and setting up a plan for residents generally requires you to already have a bank account. I had to borrow a local's mobile to do this. No other place I have called has had this 'tone confirmation' on its line. Why would they do this? I'm just going to assume they are anti-foreigner.
I finally got an English speaking operator on the phone after waiting about 25 minutes (had to convince the guy who lent me the mobile phone that it was a free-call, but I'm not sure if it was or not for a mobile). I then asked what the problem was, and they said "we do not issue accounts to residents with a 6 month or shorter visa period". When I explained that the working holiday visa system for Australians uses a 6 month, twice extendible system (maximum of 1.5 years), she simply responded with a curt "Because your resident card shows a 6-month expiry, you will not be given an account". End of story. "Why is that the case" was never mentioned by anyone, just that "that is what's happening" like robots. Apparently the MOJ can issue me a resident card, I can be enrolled in the National Health Insurance, and have a permit to work, but low-and-behold I try and do something as outrageous as "open a bank account".
It should be noted that for other countries, the working holiday visa is issued as a single 1-year visa. Thus this constitutes a deliberate policy of discrimination against, for example, Australians over Brits. I tried to explain this to their bank manager after he took the card, and all I got was head shaking.
I would strongly and specifically recommend against foreigners trying to use Shinsei bank. They are the least foreigner friendly bank I have been to. I'd recommend pretty much anywhere else, such as the major Japanese banks like Mizuho.
I attempted to open an account at a branch of Shinsei bank several weeks ago. I was motivated to go to Shinsei first, since everywhere on the internet was recommending it as being 'the easiest for foreigners'.
I went there, no one spoke English but I managed to open an account smoothly enough, and left with my ATM card. "Job done" so I thought...
I then arrived at the guesthouse I was staying at, and was told they had both called (I used their number to open the account since I had no Japanese phone number, which they accepted due to the logical dilemma of a mobile phone plan usually needing a bank account), and that a bank manager had then come in person to find me. The landlord said they would ring again later.
When they did, they frantically explained to me that they were closing the account immediately, and asked when they could come to my place to collect the ATM card. By 'frantically', I mean with the same tone and sense of urgency one might say "this building is about to collapse, evacuate immediately". I responded that I can come and drop it off (obviously so I could argue with them about it in person), and she made me commit to a specific time I would do so.
I then called the Shinsei bank English-speaking hotline. To my disbelief, this hotline specifically prevents IP phone calls (skype etc), by requiring you to press and hold the * button on a landline phone to confirm you are using a landline or standard mobile phone. Well most foreigners do not have such a phone. SIM cards are denied to non residents (and the easy-going "prepaid SIM at the airport" taken for granted in pretty much every other country doesn't exist), and setting up a plan for residents generally requires you to already have a bank account. I had to borrow a local's mobile to do this. No other place I have called has had this 'tone confirmation' on its line. Why would they do this? I'm just going to assume they are anti-foreigner.
I finally got an English speaking operator on the phone after waiting about 25 minutes (had to convince the guy who lent me the mobile phone that it was a free-call, but I'm not sure if it was or not for a mobile). I then asked what the problem was, and they said "we do not issue accounts to residents with a 6 month or shorter visa period". When I explained that the working holiday visa system for Australians uses a 6 month, twice extendible system (maximum of 1.5 years), she simply responded with a curt "Because your resident card shows a 6-month expiry, you will not be given an account". End of story. "Why is that the case" was never mentioned by anyone, just that "that is what's happening" like robots. Apparently the MOJ can issue me a resident card, I can be enrolled in the National Health Insurance, and have a permit to work, but low-and-behold I try and do something as outrageous as "open a bank account".
It should be noted that for other countries, the working holiday visa is issued as a single 1-year visa. Thus this constitutes a deliberate policy of discrimination against, for example, Australians over Brits. I tried to explain this to their bank manager after he took the card, and all I got was head shaking.
I would strongly and specifically recommend against foreigners trying to use Shinsei bank. They are the least foreigner friendly bank I have been to. I'd recommend pretty much anywhere else, such as the major Japanese banks like Mizuho.