Closing accounts sounds like the boring, mechanical part of leaving Japan — a checklist of phone calls you make in your last week. In practice it's where people lose money: a phone contract that keeps billing after you've flown home, a router the provider says was never returned, or a pension refund that has nowhere to land because you closed the one bank account that could have received it. None of these are exotic mistakes. They're the default outcome of cancelling things in the wrong order. This guide walks through the order that avoids them, alongside the full leaving-Japan checklist for everything else on your departure list.
The one bank account you should not close
This is the single most common expensive mistake people make when leaving Japan: closing every bank account before they leave. Two things routinely land after your departure date — the pension refund that needs somewhere to land (脱退一時金, dattai ichijikin), which is typically processed and paid out only after you've left the country, and any final tax or deposit refunds tied to your move-out (utility deposits, apartment key money, year-end tax adjustments). If there's no account left open to receive them, you're stuck trying to arrange an overseas remittance from Japan after the fact, which is slower, harder, and sometimes not possible at all through the same channels.
Keep one Japanese bank account open specifically to receive your pension refund and any trailing refunds — don't close everything before you fly out. If a bank account genuinely can't stay open, arrange the overseas-remittance route in advance rather than after you've already left.
The complication: some banks technically require account holders to be Japanese residents, and a few will freeze or close accounts once they learn you've moved abroad. Policy varies a lot by institution, and even by branch. Don't assume — call your bank directly and ask how they handle a departing customer who needs to receive a refund after leaving. Some are fine with it as long as you update your registered address; others aren't. Find out before you leave, not after the refund has already been rejected.
Phone contract: watch the 違約金 and the handset balance
Cancelling your mobile contract (携帯, keitai) is usually straightforward, but two things can turn it into an unexpected bill. First, 違約金 (iyakukin) — an early-termination penalty — applies if you're still inside a minimum contract period. Second, and easy to miss, is an unpaid handset balance: many Japanese carriers sell phones on installment plans bundled into your monthly bill, and cancelling the line doesn't erase what you still owe on the device. Leaving with a balance outstanding can follow you as a debt, so ask your carrier for the payoff amount before you cancel, not after. Also confirm whether any leased or rented equipment (a SIM, a portable Wi-Fi unit, a specific handset that isn't yours to keep) needs to be physically returned. Number portability (MNP) is irrelevant if you're not planning to keep a Japanese number — but if you might need Japan-based SMS verification for banking or other accounts, weigh that before you cancel.
Internet: cancellation notice and the router you have to give back
Home internet (光回線, hikari kaisen, or whatever service you're on) usually requires advance notice to cancel — often a full month, sometimes more. Call or submit the cancellation request as early as your timeline allows so you're not still paying for a connection you've already vacated, or worse, still bound to it after you've left. The part people forget is the hardware: the router or ONU (the small box the technician installed) is typically a rental, not yours to keep. Failing to return it means getting billed for its replacement cost, sometimes weeks later once you're already gone. Ask explicitly how and where to return it, and get confirmation that it's been received. Also ask about 撤去費用 (tekkyo hiyou, removal fees) and any remaining contract-period penalty — some internet contracts have their own version of iyakukin if you cancel early.
Utilities: schedule the shut-off, don't just walk away
Electricity (電気), gas (ガス), and water (水道) all need an explicit stop request tied to your move-out date — none of them cancel themselves. Most providers let you do this by phone or through an online form, and you'll want to schedule it a couple of weeks ahead rather than the day before you fly. Gas is the one to plan around carefully: providers often require someone to be physically present for the final meter check and shut-off, so it needs to be booked for a specific time slot while you're still in the apartment. Settle the final bill before you leave if at all possible, or make sure the provider has a forwarding address (or a card on file) to send it to — an unpaid final utility bill is a small amount of money that isn't worth the hassle of chasing down from abroad.
Subscriptions and auto-debits: cancel everything before you rely on that last account
Anything running on 口座振替 (kouza furikae, automatic bank debit) or a credit card needs to be cancelled individually — gyms, streaming services, insurance riders, commuter pass auto-charges, subscription boxes, furusato nozei-linked services, anything recurring. The reason this matters for the account you're keeping open for your pension refund: auto-debits don't know you're leaving, and they will keep pulling from that account indefinitely if you forget to cancel them. Go through your bank statement or card statement line by line in your last few weeks and cancel each one directly with the provider — don't assume closing an app or deleting a login cancels the billing.
Credit cards: pay off, then cancel — in that order
Japanese credit cards are usually tied to your residence status, so they'll need to be cancelled before you leave regardless. Pay off the outstanding balance first, then wait for your last scheduled auto-debits to clear (see above) before cancelling the card itself — cancelling too early can cause a payment to fail and leave you with a small unpaid balance you won't easily be able to settle from overseas.
Putting it in order
A workable sequence: start subscription and auto-debit cancellations about two weeks before departure, since none of them affect your ability to live day-to-day. Keep your phone and internet running until closer to the end — you'll need both for logistics, appointments, and moving-related admin. In your final days, cancel phone and internet last (confirming handset payoff and router return), settle and schedule utility shut-off for your actual move-out date, pay off and close credit cards once auto-debits have cleared, and — last of all — decide which single bank account stays open. Everything else can close; that one account, and the process for your final taxes, shouldn't be an afterthought. See final taxes and the 納税管理人 for how tax residency cutoffs interact with these refunds, and use the departure-timeline tool to lay all of this out against your actual moving date. If you're unsure about a specific provider's policy, check the FAQ first — but when in doubt, call the provider directly, since policies vary by institution and this page is informational only, not legal or financial advice.