How to send money to Japan from South Africa with the best ZAR-JPY rate

From the 5 money transfer services available, we found Key Currency to be the cheapest and Regency FX to be the fastest. You can send ZAR via bank transfer, and you can receive JPY via bank deposit.

Best companies for ZAR/JPY transfers

5 of 5 providers

Last updated on 10 November 2026

Based on 130,000 ZAR transfer

Best companies for ZAR/JPY transfers

Sort Cheapest
Promoted

TorFx

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 9.6233 JPY +0.30% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥1 251 022,55 Minutes - 24 hours
Personal account managerReceive to bank accountIdeal for buying property abroad

Ways to receive money in Japan with TorFx when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 24 hours
Free1 ZAR = 9.6233 JPY
¥1 251 022,55You payR 130 000,00
Promoted

Key Currency

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 9.6281 JPY +0.25% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥1 251 649,94 Minutes - 3 days
Personal account managerReceive to bank account

Ways to receive money in Japan with Key Currency when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 3 days
Free1 ZAR = 9.6281 JPY
¥1 251 649,94You payR 130 000,00

Run a live search

Showing top South Africa to Japan deals for 130,000 ZAR. Do a live search with your exact amount for today's best rates.
Exclusive: Special Rate for 1st Transfer

Key Currency

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 9.6281 JPY +0.25% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥1 251 649,94 Minutes - 3 days
Cheapest
Personal account managerReceive to bank account

Ways to receive money in Japan with Key Currency when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 3 days
Free1 ZAR = 9.6281 JPY
¥1 251 649,94You payR 130 000,00
Exclusive: First Transfer Deal

Regency FX

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 9.6261 JPY +0.27% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥1 251 398,99 Minutes - 24 hours
Personal account managerReceive to bank accountProfessional, personal service

Ways to receive money in Japan with Regency FX when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 24 hours
Free1 ZAR = 9.6261 JPY
¥1 251 398,99You payR 130 000,00

TorFx

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 9.6233 JPY +0.30% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥1 251 022,55 Minutes - 24 hours
FastestOur top pick
Personal account managerReceive to bank accountIdeal for buying property abroad

Ways to receive money in Japan with TorFx when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 24 hours
Free1 ZAR = 9.6233 JPY
¥1 251 022,55You payR 130 000,00

Currencies Direct

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 9.5898 JPY +0.65% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥1 246 674,00 Minutes - 24 hours
Personal account managerMulti-currency cardReceive to bank account

Ways to receive money in Japan with Currencies Direct when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 24 hours
Free1 ZAR = 9.5898 JPY
¥1 246 674,00You payR 130 000,00

Moneycorp

Pay via Bank transfer
Fee R 0,00 1 ZAR = 9.5171 JPY +1.40% vs mid-market Recipient gets ¥1 237 219,89 Minutes - 2 days

Ways to receive money in Japan with Moneycorp when paying by bank transfer.

MethodFee & ratesRecipient gets
Bank depositMinutes - 2 days
Free1 ZAR = 9.5171 JPY
¥1 237 219,89You payR 130 000,00
How Our Results Work
Mid-market rate: 1 ZAR = 9.6522 JPY Updates every 60 minutes.

How to send money from South Africa to Japan

Pick a company

For a one-off transfer to Japan, I suggest picking the cheapest option which is Key Currency.

Key Currency was the cheapest on 25 of the 25 days it quoted R130,000 transfers to Japan.

On a 130,000 ZAR transfer, Key Currency delivers the most JPY.

The best option will change depending on how much you actually send, so I suggest to get the best ZAR/JPY rate.

Fund your transfer

You have 1 ways to pay, including bank transfer.

PayShap is the quickest way to fund your transfer, though it caps at R50,000 a transaction.

Above that you're on a normal EFT, which is same-day or next-day rather than instant.

Verify and send

First time round you'll need your ID and proof of address.

Anything beyond your yearly allowance needs a tax number and clearance from SARS first, so check which side of that line you're on.

Compare amounts

How much ZAR are you sending to Japan?

How much ZAR you send to Japan heavily affects the best ways and the cheapest options. Use the table below to check how the cheapest options change and how much more you'd get by comparing.

Our analysis shows Key Currency was the cheapest in 100% of all the transfers it quoted over the past month.

Cheapest service
R 2 0000.62%R 0,00¥19 201,00with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥1 114,58
R 4 5000.70%R 0,00¥43 147,00with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥2 478,57
R 5 0000.62%R 0,00¥47 944,00with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥2 782,51
R 50 0000.27%R 0,00¥481 125,79with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥2 673,22
R 100 0000.27%R 0,00¥962 364,98with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥3 627,16
R 130 000This page0.25%R 0,00¥1 251 649,94with bank transfer to bank deposit+¥4 056,87

Mid-market rate: 1 ZAR = 9.6522 JPY

ZAR/JPY Exchange Rate History

Is today a good time to send money from South Africa to Japan?

The cheapest way to send ZAR to JPY can change every day, or stay with the same company all month.

We've compared the mid-market rate with the cheapest option each day (today it's Key Currency), across 30 days of comparisons for 130,000 ZAR transfers to Japan.

JPY received for R 130 000, after fees

Tue, 10 Nov 2026Mid-market rate¥1 254 786,91 Key Currency ¥1 251 649,94Key Currency¥1 251 649,94Regency FX¥1 251 398,99TorFx¥1 251 022,55

1,21M
1,22M
1,23M
1,24M
1,25M
1,26M
At the mid-market rateWith the cheapest optionKey CurrencyRegency FXTorFx
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6031 – ¥1 248 398,71
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5791 R 0,00 ¥1 245 277,71 −¥3 121,00
Regency FX 9.5771 R 0,00 ¥1 245 028,03 −¥3 370,68
TorFx 9.5743 R 0,00 ¥1 244 653,51 −¥3 745,20
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6109 – ¥1 249 415,96
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5869 R 0,00 ¥1 246 292,42 −¥3 123,54
Regency FX 9.5849 R 0,00 ¥1 246 042,54 −¥3 373,42
TorFx 9.5821 R 0,00 ¥1 245 667,71 −¥3 748,25
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6007 – ¥1 248 091,26
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5767 R 0,00 ¥1 244 971,03 −¥3 120,23
Regency FX 9.5748 R 0,00 ¥1 244 721,41 −¥3 369,85
TorFx 9.5719 R 0,00 ¥1 244 346,99 −¥3 744,27
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5441 – ¥1 240 729,75
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5202 R 0,00 ¥1 237 627,93 −¥3 101,82
Regency FX 9.5183 R 0,00 ¥1 237 379,78 −¥3 349,97
TorFx 9.5154 R 0,00 ¥1 237 007,56 −¥3 722,19
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6057 – ¥1 248 740,09
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5817 R 0,00 ¥1 245 618,24 −¥3 121,85
Regency FX 9.5798 R 0,00 ¥1 245 368,49 −¥3 371,60
TorFx 9.5769 R 0,00 ¥1 244 993,87 −¥3 746,22
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5801 – ¥1 245 417,03
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5562 R 0,00 ¥1 242 303,49 −¥3 113,54
Regency FX 9.5543 R 0,00 ¥1 242 054,40 −¥3 362,63
TorFx 9.5514 R 0,00 ¥1 241 680,78 −¥3 736,25
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5801 – ¥1 245 417,03
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5562 R 0,00 ¥1 242 303,49 −¥3 113,54
Regency FX 9.5543 R 0,00 ¥1 242 054,40 −¥3 362,63
TorFx 9.5514 R 0,00 ¥1 241 680,78 −¥3 736,25
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5906 – ¥1 246 777,61
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5666 R 0,00 ¥1 243 660,67 −¥3 116,94
Regency FX 9.5647 R 0,00 ¥1 243 411,31 −¥3 366,30
TorFx 9.5618 R 0,00 ¥1 243 037,28 −¥3 740,33
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6396 – ¥1 253 148,65
Key Currency Cheapest 9.6155 R 0,00 ¥1 250 015,78 −¥3 132,87
Regency FX 9.6136 R 0,00 ¥1 249 765,15 −¥3 383,50
TorFx 9.6107 R 0,00 ¥1 249 389,20 −¥3 759,45
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6391 – ¥1 253 081,31
Key Currency Cheapest 9.6150 R 0,00 ¥1 249 948,61 −¥3 132,70
Regency FX 9.6131 R 0,00 ¥1 249 697,99 −¥3 383,32
TorFx 9.6102 R 0,00 ¥1 249 322,07 −¥3 759,24
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5375 – ¥1 239 876,56
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5137 R 0,00 ¥1 236 776,87 −¥3 099,69
Regency FX 9.5118 R 0,00 ¥1 236 528,89 −¥3 347,67
TorFx 9.5089 R 0,00 ¥1 236 156,93 −¥3 719,63
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4907 – ¥1 233 790,87
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4670 R 0,00 ¥1 230 706,39 −¥3 084,48
Regency FX 9.4651 R 0,00 ¥1 230 459,63 −¥3 331,24
TorFx 9.4622 R 0,00 ¥1 230 089,50 −¥3 701,37
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4644 – ¥1 230 371,74
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4407 R 0,00 ¥1 227 295,81 −¥3 075,93
Regency FX 9.4388 R 0,00 ¥1 227 049,74 −¥3 322,00
TorFx 9.4360 R 0,00 ¥1 226 680,62 −¥3 691,12
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate – – –
Currencies Direct Cheapest 9.3910 R 0,00 ¥1 220 830,00 –
Key Currency No quote collected this day – – – –
Regency FX No quote collected this day – – – –
TorFx No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4574 – ¥1 229 462,26
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4338 R 0,00 ¥1 226 388,60 −¥3 073,66
Regency FX 9.4319 R 0,00 ¥1 226 142,71 −¥3 319,55
TorFx 9.4290 R 0,00 ¥1 225 773,87 −¥3 688,39
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4674 – ¥1 230 767,46
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4438 R 0,00 ¥1 227 690,54 −¥3 076,92
Regency FX 9.4419 R 0,00 ¥1 227 444,39 −¥3 323,07
TorFx 9.4390 R 0,00 ¥1 227 075,16 −¥3 692,30
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4778 – ¥1 232 116,99
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4541 R 0,00 ¥1 229 036,70 −¥3 080,29
Regency FX 9.4522 R 0,00 ¥1 228 790,27 −¥3 326,72
TorFx 9.4494 R 0,00 ¥1 228 420,64 −¥3 696,35
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4896 – ¥1 233 652,81
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4659 R 0,00 ¥1 230 568,68 −¥3 084,13
Regency FX 9.4640 R 0,00 ¥1 230 321,95 −¥3 330,86
TorFx 9.4612 R 0,00 ¥1 229 951,85 −¥3 700,96
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4785 – ¥1 232 207,47
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4548 R 0,00 ¥1 229 126,95 −¥3 080,52
Regency FX 9.4529 R 0,00 ¥1 228 880,51 −¥3 326,96
TorFx 9.4501 R 0,00 ¥1 228 510,85 −¥3 696,62
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4238 – ¥1 225 089,71
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4002 R 0,00 ¥1 222 026,99 −¥3 062,72
Regency FX 9.3983 R 0,00 ¥1 221 781,97 −¥3 307,74
TorFx 9.3955 R 0,00 ¥1 221 414,44 −¥3 675,27
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4238 – ¥1 225 089,71
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4002 R 0,00 ¥1 222 026,99 −¥3 062,72
Regency FX 9.3983 R 0,00 ¥1 221 781,97 −¥3 307,74
TorFx 9.3955 R 0,00 ¥1 221 414,44 −¥3 675,27
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4773 – ¥1 232 049,13
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4536 R 0,00 ¥1 228 969,01 −¥3 080,12
Regency FX 9.4517 R 0,00 ¥1 228 722,60 −¥3 326,53
TorFx 9.4489 R 0,00 ¥1 228 352,98 −¥3 696,15
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.4817 – ¥1 232 625,16
Key Currency Cheapest 9.4580 R 0,00 ¥1 229 543,60 −¥3 081,56
Regency FX 9.4561 R 0,00 ¥1 229 297,07 −¥3 328,09
TorFx 9.4533 R 0,00 ¥1 228 927,28 −¥3 697,88
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5786 – ¥1 245 211,89
Moneycorp Cheapest 9.3870 R 0,00 ¥1 220 307,65 −¥24 904,24
Key Currency No quote collected this day – – – –
Regency FX No quote collected this day – – – –
TorFx No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6524 – ¥1 254 816,29
Key Currency Cheapest 9.6283 R 0,00 ¥1 251 679,25 −¥3 137,04
Regency FX 9.6264 R 0,00 ¥1 251 428,29 −¥3 388,00
TorFx 9.6235 R 0,00 ¥1 251 051,84 −¥3 764,45
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5259 – ¥1 238 364,40
Moneycorp Cheapest 9.3354 R 0,00 ¥1 213 597,11 −¥24 767,29
Key Currency No quote collected this day – – – –
Regency FX No quote collected this day – – – –
TorFx No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate – – –
Currencies Direct Cheapest 9.5322 R 0,00 ¥1 239 186,00 –
Key Currency No quote collected this day – – – –
Regency FX No quote collected this day – – – –
TorFx No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5933 – ¥1 247 122,63
Key Currency Cheapest 9.5693 R 0,00 ¥1 244 004,82 −¥3 117,81
Regency FX 9.5673 R 0,00 ¥1 243 755,40 −¥3 367,23
TorFx 9.5645 R 0,00 ¥1 243 381,26 −¥3 741,37
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.5788 – ¥1 245 246,47
Moneycorp Cheapest 9.3872 R 0,00 ¥1 220 341,54 −¥24 904,93
Key Currency No quote collected this day – – – –
Regency FX No quote collected this day – – – –
TorFx No quote collected this day – – – –
Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference
Mid-market rate 9.6522 – ¥1 254 786,91
Key Currency Cheapest 9.6281 R 0,00 ¥1 251 649,94 −¥3 136,97
Regency FX 9.6261 R 0,00 ¥1 251 398,99 −¥3 387,92
TorFx 9.6233 R 0,00 ¥1 251 022,55 −¥3 764,36

Exchange rateFeeRecipient getsDifference

Each line shows what the recipient gets when you send R 130 000, after fees, as quoted by each company. The mid-market line shows what R 130 000 converts to at the real exchange rate, with no fees or markup. Rates are checked once a day. Sponsored placements never affect this data. There are no bank quotes for this period.

The dashed line is what you'd get at the mid-market rate with no fees, and the blue line is the cheapest option that day.

When the blue line goes above the dashed one, you're getting more JPY per ZAR than the mid-market rate can offer.

This could be due to money transfer offers, FX rate adjustments, or market competitiveness.

No company, app or bank beat the mid-market rate over the past month, meaning you lose a bit of JPY on every transfer from South Africa.

Right now, Key Currency pays 1,251,649.94 JPY on 130,000 ZAR, which is 3,136.97 JPY less than the mid-market amount.

Today's payout isn't the best this month though, since the highest receive amount was 1,251,679.25 JPY.

If you can wait and want to get the most out of your transfer, create a rate alert and we'll let you know when the rate improves.

Cheapest over time

Picking the cheapest money transfer company

Just because a company is the cheapest today doesn't mean it's always the best option for sending money to Japan.

We've tracked 175 comparisons to check how often today's top companies were the cheapest across 6 amounts over the past month.

  1. Key CurrencyAppeared in 25 comparisons

    Cheapest every time

  2. Regency FXAppeared in 46 comparisons

    Cheapest in 46% of them

  3. TorFxAppeared in 50 comparisons

    Cheapest in 2% of them

Based on 175 comparisons across 6 amounts over the last 30 days.

Different companies can come out cheapest depending on the day and the amount you send.

To keep things fair, we only count the comparisons each company appeared in, and only analyse companies that appeared in at least 50% of all comparisons (so occasional cheapest options don't skew it).

Today Key Currency is the cheapest, but it only quotes some of the amounts we track, so it isn't included in these figures.

Ways to send money from South Africa to Japan

5 companies send money from South Africa to Japan.

Frequent transfers from South Africa

Online transfers

Apps and online services are best for recurring transfers to Japan.

Moneycorp is the cheapest option.

It will get you 1,237,219.89 JPY on a R130,000 transfer.

For fast transfers, Moneycorp is a good option, it will deliver JPY in minutes - 2 days.

In our comparisons over the past month, it was the cheapest online service on 28 of the 28 days it quoted.

Most companies will let you fund your transfer by EFT, and will ask for your FICA details.

Emigration and large transfers

Currency brokers

Currency brokers are great for large transfers from South Africa to Japan.

They have no fees and add a markup on top of ZAR/JPY rate.

Key Currency charges an exchange-rate markup of around 0.25% and no fees.

Our analysis shows Key Currency was the cheapest broker in 100% of all the transfers it quoted.

Also, don’t forget about the R2 million limits on transfers from South Africa (more below).

For business payments abroad

Global accounts

Global accounts like Airwallex, Veem or Payoneer help South African businesses make recurring payments to suppliers and contractors in Japan.

Ways to fund ZAR and receive JPY in Japan

With Key Currency, paying by bank transfer and receiving through bank deposit is the cheapest combination. Sending R130,000 gives your recipient 1,251,649.94 JPY.

You can fund the transfer with bank transfer.

To receive JPY in Japan, your recipient can use bank deposit.

  1. 1
    Bank transfer Bank deposit

    You pay R130,000.00

    ¥1,251,650

    Cheapest

Consider this when sending ZAR to Japan

South African exchange control dictates how much you can move and which paperwork you need. The exchange-rate margin then decides whether a bank, an online money transfer company or a forex specialist is cheaper.

Compare ZAR/JPY transfer options

For a ZAR 130,000 transfer to Japan, the current best options are:

The cheapest option is Key Currency, funded by bank transfer with bank deposit for the payout. Your recipient gets 1,251,649.94 JPY, which is 0.02% more than the next best option.

The fastest option is Regency FX, funded by bank transfer with bank deposit for the payout. Your recipient gets 1,251,398.99 JPY in minutes - 24 hours.

R2 million allowance

South African residents aged 18 or older can use the single discretionary allowance to transfer up to R2 million per calendar year for legal purposes abroad without a SARS tax-compliance PIN.

A further foreign capital allowance of up to R10 million is available with an Approval International Transfer PIN from SARS.

Amounts above the allowances need specific approval through an authorised dealer.

The allowances cover more than money transfers.

Foreign card spending and other qualifying use can reduce what remains, so check your year-to-date total before making payments.

The SARB Financial Surveillance guidance explains how the allowances can be used.

Get the purpose code right

Every legal cross-border payment in rand passes through an authorised dealer and carries a balance-of-payments purpose code.

A bank, transfer company or forex specialist may handle the form, but you are still responsible for giving the right reason.

Keep any relevant documents on hand, such as the property sale agreement, emigration documents, tuition invoice, proof of savings, etc.

For an emigration transfer, a specialist service can be useful because the AIT paperwork matters as much as the rate.

A gift can create donations tax

For the 2026/27 tax year, a natural person can make up to R150,000 of donations each year before donations tax applies.

The donor generally pays 20% on taxable donations up to the first R30 million of cumulative taxable gifts.

Payments between spouses and reasonable maintenance payments can be exempt.

A large family transfer should be classified before sending, rather than treated as tax-free because the recipient lives abroad.

Only use authorised companies

Search the company or its FSP number in the FSCA register.

Never move a transfer to crypto or a personal account to bypass exchange control.

Keep the quote, purpose-code confirmation and proof of payment until the recipient has the money.

How we analyse the market

Every rand that leaves South Africa goes through an authorised dealer, and every company here is FSCA-registered.

We track 5 of them on ZAR to Japan, comparing rates, fees and the pay-in and payout options in real time on live comparisons.

In the past 30 days alone, we analysed 175 comparisons across 6 amounts.

This page covers the cheapest and fastest options for ZAR/JPY transfers. This is how we pick them:

  • Cheapest: the company that gets your recipient the most, after fees and the exchange rate. On a tie, live pricing from the company takes priority over the rates we collect by hand.

  • Fastest: the company with the shortest estimated delivery time once you’ve paid. On a tie, the one that pays out more takes priority.

Nothing appears without passing our review.

Any tax information is for general guidance only and does not constitute tax advice. Speak to a qualified tax adviser about your circumstances.