The 5 best Forex Brokers in Japan – Comparison & reviews

Japan has been a financial hub in Asia for hundreds of years. It is perhaps no great surprise then that the Japanese are rapidly becoming avid forex traders. With disposable income to trade with, many in Japan have been looking outside of their country for opportunities.

And with the global reach of the foreign exchange markets, many investors have concluded that there are opportunities to make significant gains trading forex. Forex trading and the Land of the Rising Sun seem to be a perfect fit with its outward-looking perspective and worldwide trading reputation. The only challenge is in finding a forex broker that’s geared up for the Japanese market.

Broker:
Review:
Regulation:
Spreads:
Assets:
Advantages:
Open Account:
1. XM
XM logo
IFSC, CySEC, ASIC
Starting 0.0 pips + $ 3.5 commission per 1 lot
1,000+
(55+ currency pairs)
+ Huge varierity
+ Micro accounts
+ Daily webinars
+ Personal service
Minimum deposit $5
(Risk warning: 75.59% of retail CFD accounts lose)
2. AvaTrade
AvaTrade logo
More than 6
Starting 0.8 pips
400+
(60+ currency pairs)
+ Fixed spreads
+ Option trading
+ Personal service
Minimum deposit $100
(Risk warning: 71% of retail CFD accounts lose money)
3. FXCM
FXCM logo
CySEC, FCA, ASIC
Starting 0.2 pips variable
200+
(50+ currency pairs)
+ NDD/ECN Broker
+ High liquidity
+ Institutional service
Minimum deposit $50
(Risk warning: 74% of CFD accounts lose money)
4.. BDSwiss
BDSwiss logo
CySEC, FSC
Starting 0.0 pips + $ 2.0 commission per 1 lot
250+
(50+ currency pairs)
+ Individual offers
+ Trading signals
+ Raw Spreads
+ Leverage up to 1:500
+ Best education
+ Personal support
Minimum deposit $100
5. HotForex
HotForex logo
FCA, FSCA, FSA, SV, DFSA
Starting 0.0 pips + $ 3.0 commission per 1 lot
150+
(42+ currency pairs)
+ Individual offers
+ Fast execution
+ Raw Spreads
+ Leverage up to 1:1000
+ Personal support
Minimum deposit $5

Who’s a big FX Broker in Japan?

Our review strives to take some of the headaches out of tracking down a suitable candidate company. Using the same criteria that Japanese retail clients would deploy in their search, we have picked out the 5 Best Forex Brokers in Japan. Our review will save you many hours of fruitless online searching and research. We have filtered out the mediocre and arrived at what we believe are the five best options for Japanese forex traders. You will find a broker to suit your personal circumstances, be you a forex beginner or a trader that’s been around the block a few times. Please read on and see if you agree.

5 Best Forex Brokers in Japan:

  1. XM – Big on the personal touch
  2. AvaTrade – Great language support for global customers
  3. FXCM – High liquidity broker
  4. BDSwiss – Regularly highly rated in reviews
  5. HotForex – Forex rockstar

1. XM

XM.com forex broker in Japan

XM.com forex broker in Japan

XM accurately claims true global coverage with clients in 196 countries, including Japan. Their reach has been thanks to some 3.5 million clients worldwide putting their trust in a company that’s top tier regulated in the UK, Australia, and Cyprus.

Due to this regulation and XM’s fair and transparent trading conditions, they earn a well-deserved reputation among forex traders in the know.

It takes more than just tight regulation to distinguish yourself from the herd as you are doubtlessly well aware. And XM rose to the occasion with their award-winning customer service and educational support. They can support customers in more than 30 languages, making XM the global choice of forex traders everywhere.

They are also a well-featured outfit; account holders have access to some remarkable research tools and are assigned a personal account manager. Both of which are extremely handy when there are more than 55 currency pairs to trade. However, some of the strain is relieved as XM has social trading to automate forex trading. This networking allows traders to link up and exchange ideas, news, and forex trading strategies.

What also sets XM apart is the facetime XM management devotes to meeting with traders in 120 cities around the globe. It’s this personal touch that can make all the difference. And it lends credence to XM’s claim that they are big, fair, and human.

Set up in 2009, XM now comprises some 450 professionals with accumulated experience that runs into many thousands of years. Setting up an account with XM then lets you tap into this comprehensive experience and knowledge.

This depth and breadth of experience may also account for XM’s ability to pioneer a strict policy of no requotes or rejections. They state that over 99% of all trading orders are executed in less than a second too.

XM pin their reputation and business model on the conviction that execution is everything when it comes to forex trading.

If you need any further evidence, bear in mind the spreads go as low as 0.6 pips, you can obtain leverage of 1:888, and bag a nice bonus of up to $500. Tempting.

Advantages of XM:

  • Accepts Japanese clients
  • Regulated in Cyprus and Australia
  • Low starting deposit
  • Negative balance protection
  • Demo accounts
  • Good selection of account types
  • Fixed and variable spreads
  • Phone and email support
  • Live chat help
  • Over 3.5 million clients in 196 countries

(Risk warning: 75.59% of retail CFD accounts lose)

2. AvaTrade

AvaTrade forex broker in Japan

AvaTrade forex broker in Japan

This online trading platform is from a company based in the Emerald Isle, aka Ireland. It has been on the go since 2006 and fired up a mini-revolution in its wake.

Today it is regulated by six major financial regulatory bodies on five continents, comprising Japan, Europe, the British Virgin Islands, Australia, and South Africa. Its HQ is in the Republic of Ireland’s capital, Dublin. But AvaTrade also has sales centers worldwide in Tokyo, Beijing, Mongolia, Sydney, Johannesburg, Nigeria, Santiago, Madrid, Milan, Paris, and Dublin.

Impressive stuff. However, there is much more besides offices and a global reach, if that’s not enough. AvaTrade says its mission is to empower people from all walks of life to trade with confidence. That’s quite a task they have set themselves.

However, they do follow through on this; it’s not just marketing puffery. AvaTrade prides itself on having the core values of innovation and integrity. This commitment is evident in the way they strive to put the customer first, as it should be. You get the impression they will go out of their way to assist forex traders no matter their experience level, trading volume, or account balance. All in all, it’s a cracking recipe to ensure forex traders get the type of trading experience they deserve.

As ever, though, the actual proof is in the eating of the pudding. So what does this multi-award-winning broker actually serve up?

Among the goodies are free demo accounts with virtual cash, live trading accounts you can open with just $100, and multiple trading platforms. The available platforms include the iconic MetaTrader 4 and 5, WebTrader, and two in-house platforms, AvaTradeGO and AvaOptions.

Or, if you are more of a social forex trader, you can opt for ZuluTrade, DupliTrade, or their own brand AvaSocial.

AvaTrade also stocks a comprehensive library of educational resources, including eBooks and training videos. And there are numerous trading tools such as the Economic Calendar to keep you abreast of developments in the forex market.

All told, AvaTrade is an exciting option for Japanese forex traders. You should definitely head over there and take a look for yourself.

Advantages of AvaTrade:

  • User-friendly platforms
  • Accepts and supports Japanese customers
  • $100 starting deposit but watch out for inactivity fees
  • Easy deposits and withdrawals
  • Choice of base currencies
  • A wide range of e-wallets are accepted
  • No deposit fees apart from bank transfers and plastic
  • Easy account opening
  • Good learning opportunities
  • Multi-language webinars

(Risk warning: 71% of retail CFD accounts lose money)

3. FXCM

FXCM forex broker in Japan

FXCM forex broker in Japan

If it’s time to dip your toes into the volatile waters of forex trading or swap platforms, you should have FXCM on your shortlist, for sure. We have given FXCM a place in this 5 Best Forex Brokers in Japan review for several good reasons, so please read on.

First out of the gate is the low minimum deposit of just $50. That’s quite an offer if you are only starting out in forex trading or want to test the platform out without putting any serious money at stake.

And you can be quietly confident about FXCM for its one of the elder statesmen of forex trading as it traces its genesis back to 1999. But there is nothing last century about FXCM apart from its long and illustrious track record. As a measure of its stature and trustworthiness, the online forex broker has its head office in the United States and is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and ASIC in Australia.

FXCM also places its client funds in a segregated account held at a tier-1 bank, so you can rest easy that your money won’t vanish unless you’re to blame.

FXCM offers trading in over 39 currency pairs, including majors, minors, and the exotics. But FXCM is more than just a vanilla forex broker. They are one of the very few forex brokerages that claim you won’t be hit by requotes. No requotes means your trades go through at the price you executed them, so there’s no slippage. So that’s one less worry when you are forex trading.

You trade forex on leverage too. By default, FXCM set accounts at 1:400, but you can adjust them downwards. However, generally, the leverage rate is set based on the amount of equity in your account. But FXCM will review the level of leverage set if requested.

The platform also offers an exciting lineup of platforms, including Trading Station, MetaTrader 4, ZuluTrade, TradingView, and Capitalise AI. They also offer algorithmic and API trading, so they are committed to keeping up to date with all the latest trading technology.

FXCM makes it into our top 5 forex brokers list without breaking a sweat. It’s a very experienced, competitive, and able company to trade with. And if you are an active trader, there are extra benefits and tighter spreads, but the minimum deposit is $25,000.

Advantages of FXCM:

  • Leading global online forex broker
  • Offices in major financial centers
  • No restrictions on stop or limit orders
  • Widely recognized for excellence
  • Multiple award winners
  • Enhanced execution with no requotes
  • Claims over 87% of orders have zero or positive slippage
  • Effective spreads
  • Superfast execution and order cancellation speeds
  • Tighter spreads for high volume traders

(Risk warning: 74% of CFD accounts lose money)

4. BDSwiss

BDSwiss forex broker in Japan

BDSwiss forex broker in Japan

This Swiss-founded outfit makes it onto our top 5 Best Forex Brokers in Japan without a shadow of a doubt. In fact, any cursory search online will reveal that BDSwiss is consistently ranked high in reviews.

So we have hesitation in giving BDSwiss a berth in our top 5 forex brokers poll. After all, they are a robust platform with long experience in the forex market and a proven track record in the forex industry and with traders in Japan and further afield. As job candidates, you would be asking them to sign on the dotted line for sure.

Their credentials are impeccable, as testified to by the multiple jurisdictions, including CySec, that are happy to authorize BDSwiss. As a result, forex traders can enjoy trading in excess of 250 currency pairs via the platform, making them a top-flight performer in a very competitive playing field.

Since being set up in 2012, BDSwiss has come on in the proverbial leaps and bounds. They have rocket shipped from startup to principal international forex broker in just eight short years. The stats are nothing if not impressive. For example, BDSwiss now provides services for more than one and a half million clients trading more than $84 billion every month. At the conclusion of Q2 in 2020, BDSwiss had clocked up annual trade executions north of 84 million. These are vast numbers by any measure you care to apply.

The stats speak to the stature enjoyed by BDSwiss around the globe. This recognition that they are a major global player in the forex market is suitably underlined by multiple award wins. As the broker has grown, so too has their haul of silverware.

As well as an award-winning platform and positive forex trading environment, BDSwiss emerge as frontrunners when it comes to education. They go above and beyond in equipping traders old and new with all the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in forex trading.

If you are fresh to forex trading, it is highly advised to open a demo account first, not only to get comfortable with the platform but also to get up to speed with trading.

Advantages of BDSwiss:

  • Highly reputable company
  • Commission-free payments and withdrawals
  • $100 minimum deposit
  • Numerous payment methods, including cryptocurrencies
  • Open up to five trading accounts
  • 24/5 customer support
  • Good Forex learning and training
  • Easy and quick account opening
  • Swiss financial chops
  • Numerous account types
  • Trading signals

(Risk Warning: Your capital is at risk)

5. HotForex

HotForex forex broker in Japan

HotForex forex broker in Japan

What is it with forex brokers and their fascination with the beautiful game? Not to be outdone, Hotforex is the official partner of French footballing giants Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

While this is one of the more interesting facts about HotForex, there’s probably more important stuff you need to know about as a forex trader.

For instance, they are currently celebrating their tenth year in business. This anniversary is a major milestone, and in HotForex’s case, it is suitably marked with some impressive facts and figures.

Today they play host to over 2.5 million trading accounts, employ more than 200 people globally, and support customers in 27 languages. Like their sponsorship partners, PSG, HotForex also has a glittering silverware collection, having picked up more than 45 top industry awards in a decade.

Footballing analogies aside, what else has HotForex got to offer forex traders in Japan?

Well, HotForex is something of a rockstar on the forex scene, providing trading services to retail and institutional clients. HotForex has debatably placed itself as the forex broker of choice among forex traders in Japan and worldwide through some nifty moves.

Opening a trading account with them gains you access to a great trading platform and tools. Various account types are on offer, but all get you the opportunity to access various spreads and liquidity. The accounts are tailor-made, so you will be hard pushed not to find an account that is a good fit.

Among the account types is the Micro Account, which you can open with just $5. However, you may prefer to select the Premium Account instead and stake it with a minimum of $100.

The good thing is you aren’t required to make your mind up straight away. Open an unlimited and risk-free demo account first. Demos give you a better feel for the platform, learn how to use it properly, and study up on forex trading via their extensive library of learning and training resources.

Once inside, you will find top quality forex trading conditions and order execution via greased lightning. Allied to that is the research tools and analysis you need to make a success of your forex trading ambitions.

Based in Saint Vincent, HotForex is reassuringly well regulated via the financial regulatory bodies in the UK, Dubai, South Africa, and Seychelles.

Advantages of HotForex:

  • Tight spreads starting at 0.1 pips
  • 18 trading tools
  • One-click trading
  • Free Virtual Private Server hosting
  • Exclusive analysis
  • Free live expert webinars
  • Extensive learning resources
  • Auto withdrawals
  • Free account funding
  • Breaking forex news and analysis
  • Free bonus

(Risk Warning: Your capital is at risk)

Is it legal to trade forex in Japan?

Yes, it is perfectly legal to trade forex in Japan.

Which forex broker is the most reliable?

There’s not one; there’s five. And we have corralled them here for you in our 5 Best Forex Brokers in Japan review. Please take a look at our guide and find out who we reckon are the heavy hitters for forex traders in Japan.

  1. XM
  2. AvaTrade
  3. FXCM
  4. BDSwiss
  5. HotForex

The final conclusion of the best Forex Brokers in Japan

No matter where you are on your forex trading journey – at the start line or somewhat down the road – there’s a forex broker for you. Our review showcases five of the best forex brokers for traders in Japan.

All five are well-regulated, with proven histories in the forex trading marketplace. Depending on who you opt to go with, you can start trading from as little as $5. This is not a substantial financial commitment and could well open a brand new income stream for you.

Veterans of the forex trading world, too, have plenty of choices. There’s an excellent range of account types for all levels of experience across our review.

Last Updated on November 10, 2022 by Andre Witzel