The inability of most automated teller machines at Japanese banks to accept foreign credit cards has long irritated tourists and short-term foreign residents in a country where cash still plays a key role in everyday life.
Industry watchers say little has been done to rectify the problem, which not only dents Japan's attractiveness to foreign tourists but also gives rise to criticism that the nation's financial industry is not playing fair, since overseas ATM networks accept credit cards issued in Japan.
"It is absolutely a free ride," said Daniel Lintz, a member of the Banking and Finance Subcommittee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and director of corporate communications for Visa International Asia Pacific Ltd.