Handling Cheques / Checks
Cheques / Checks are a serious pain to handle in Japan. Please consider asking whoever has written you a cheque / check to send you money in some other way.
Details
If you have a bank account or a relative in the country of issuance, you could:
- Use your bank's mobile deposit feature
- Use your bank's "by mail" feature
- Endorse the cheque and ask your relative to cash it for you
Of the major banks, only Prestia will still do it (see https://yatsuyaku.com/clean_bill/):
- SMBC Prestia - https://faq.smbctb.co.jp/faq/show/177?site_domain=smbctbjp
Starting in 2025, they will only support:
- US Dollar USD
- Hong Kong Dollar HKD
- Canadian Dollar CAD
- Thai Baht THB
Mizuho bank will cash their own checks where they are the payee:
Some regional banks appears to offer the service still: