gnaget, it is true I was thinking mostly of company-related services. Our Japanese subsidiary couldn't use HSBC to do any payment to a Japanese government agency and we had to also have a local bank for that purpose. My assumption was there would be some restrictions for individuals as well, but it might be an invalid assumption.

Citibank Japan in particular was sanctioned a few years back and banned from taking on new customers, but I expect that ban has expired by now. Still I recall that the terms of that settlement impose some restrictions that other banks don't have, but I don't remember exactly what they are.