Originally Posted by
BigFlyer
Last time I was in Japan (2005), I found that ATMs that accepted foreign cards were few and far between.
Really? Were you looking at the right places? I lived in Japan during 2005 and I never had a problem finding an ATM that would take my Washington Mutual and Chase cards...
Originally Posted by
BigFlyer
Any idea why it is so difficult to use a foreign card in an advanced country like Japan? Xenophobia? Hatred of foreigners? It certainly feels like someone putting out the unwelcome mat, particularly in light of the fact that foreign cards are accepted in every ATM in many countries which are far, far, behind Japan technologically and in terms of wealth.
Let's put it this way - if US banks did not take foreign ATM cards, people on Flyertalk would be screaming about how America is so provincial, stupid, evil, etc.
Of course by this reasoning, America must be isolationist and anti-global for still refusing to convert to chip-and-PIN cards and adopt IBAN transfers. I also don't see America adopting to widespread debit IC cards anytime soon (although it has been getting better the last 2 years).
railroadtycoon pretty much nailed it with his explanation. There are also regulatory factors, the ridicuously high interbank network fees, and the fact that there is little demand (for example, out of the 6 national banks, only 2 have ATMs with English screens).