日本語版：日本語で読む（Japanese version） →
Summary: Japan Post Bank (Yucho Ginko, the bank at post offices) raises its savings interest rates on Monday 9 November 2026. The ordinary savings account goes from 0.400% to 0.500% a year. Time deposits (teiki chokin) and teigaku chokin deposits also go up, for example the 1-year time deposit from 0.500% to 0.700%. If you only have a normal Yucho account, you do not need to do anything. The new rate applies automatically. Fixed-term deposits you already have keep their old rate until they mature. Be careful with any call or SMS that says you must “update” your account because of the new rates.
This article explains the official notices in plain English. It is not advice to save or move money.
What is changing
Japan Post Bank announced the ordinary savings rise on 18 September 2026, after the Bank of Japan raised its policy rate. On 6 November it published the new rates for time deposits and teigaku deposits. All of them start on the same day, 9 November.
| Account or deposit | Until 8 Nov | From 9 Nov |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary savings (tsujo chokin) | 0.400% | 0.500% |
| Ordinary savings deposit (tsujo chochiku chokin), any balance | 0.400% | 0.500% |
| Time deposit, 1, 3 or 6 months | 0.500% | 0.625% |
| Time deposit, 1 year | 0.500% | 0.700% |
| Time deposit, 2 years | 0.650% | 0.800% |
| Time deposit, 3 years | 0.800% | 0.900% |
| Time deposit, 4 years | 0.900% | 1.000% |
| Time deposit, 5 years | 1.000% | 1.100% |
| Time deposit, 10 years | 1.250% | 1.350% |
| Teigaku, held 6 months to under 1 year | 0.425% | 0.550% |
| Teigaku, held 1 year to under 1.5 years | 0.450% | 0.600% |
| Teigaku, held 1.5 to under 2 years | 0.475% | 0.625% |
| Teigaku, held 2 to under 2.5 years | 0.550% | 0.675% |
| Teigaku, held 2.5 to under 3 years | 0.600% | 0.700% |
| Teigaku, held 3 years or more | 0.710% | 0.830% |
Checked: 2026-11-07. Annual rates before tax. Source: Japan Post Bank notice of 6 November 2026 (links below).
A teigaku chokin is a Yucho deposit you can take out freely after 6 months. Its rate steps up every 6 months until year 3. The new application for the “ordinary savings deposit” (tsujo chochiku chokin) ended on 2 May 2025, but people who already have one can keep using it.
Who is affected
- Anyone with a normal Yucho account (the green passbook or the Yucho Tsucho app). Your balance earns 0.500% from 9 November.
- People who open a new time deposit or teigaku deposit on or after 9 November get the new rates.
- People whose time deposit renews automatically on or after 9 November. Japan Post Bank’s FAQ says an auto-renewed time deposit uses the rate on the renewal day.
If you opened your account recently, our guide to opening a bank account in Japan as a foreign resident explains the documents and the rules that apply when your period of stay changes.
Do I need to do anything?
For the ordinary account: no. The product explanation says the bank applies “the rate shown at the counter each day”, and interest is calculated every day. From 9 November, the higher rate is used without any form or app setting.
For deposits you already have, the FAQ (No. 10829) explains:
- Time deposits and teigaku deposits you already made keep the rate from the day you deposited, until maturity. They do not switch to the new rate.
- If you cancel one early to re-deposit at the new rate, a lower early-withdrawal rate applies to the old deposit. The bank says this is the customer’s own decision.
When you will see the extra interest
Interest on the ordinary account is added twice a year. The periods close at the end of March and the end of September, and the interest is added to your balance on 1 April and 1 October. So the first payment that includes the new rate arrives on 1 April 2027.
The rise is small. As a rough guide, for ¥1,000,000 kept for one year after the 20.315% tax on interest:
| Where the money is | Old rate | New rate |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary savings | about ¥3,190 | about ¥3,980 |
| 1-year time deposit | about ¥3,980 | about ¥5,580 |
Our own calculation from the official rates (simple interest, rounded). Real amounts depend on your balance each day.
What you can do now
- Ordinary account only: nothing. Check your passbook or app on 1 April 2027 if you want to see the interest.
- Time deposit near maturity: check whether it is set to renew automatically. If it renews on or after 9 November, it gets the new rate.
- Thinking of a new deposit: decide first when you will need the money. Taking a time deposit out before maturity means a lower rate. The FAQ says the first time deposit or teigaku deposit (a new certificate, the red passbook) must be opened at a counter; after that you can add more at a Yucho ATM.
- If your period of stay is changing: before locking money in a long deposit, check how your account is handled. See what to do if your bank account is restricted after your period of stay changed.
- Ignore “rate update” calls and SMS. No procedure is needed for the ordinary account. Do not give your PIN or card number. Call the bank yourself on a number from the official site.
Where to ask
Yucho Call Center: 0120-108-420 (free, also from mobile phones). If your phone hides its number, add 186 before the number. The notices are in Japanese; the call center hours are on the official contact page. You can also ask at a post office counter with your passbook.
FAQ
Will my existing 1-year time deposit change to 0.700%?
No. It keeps the rate from the day you deposited until it matures. If it renews automatically on or after 9 November, the renewed deposit uses the rate on that day.
Do I need to visit the post office or press anything in the app?
Not for the ordinary account. The new rate applies by itself from 9 November.
Will rates go up again?
The FAQ says changes depend on market rates and are not made on a schedule. The next change is not decided.
What is the highest Yucho rate?
The FAQ says that, as of 6 November 2026, the highest was the 10-year time deposit at 1.250%. From 9 November it is 1.350%.
Related reading
Sources
- Japan Post Bank: notice of savings rate increase, 6 November 2026 (Japanese)
- Japan Post Bank: press release on the rate increase, 18 September 2026 (Japanese, PDF)
- Japan Post Bank FAQ No. 10829: about the 9 November rate increase (Japanese)
- Japan Post Bank: product explanation, ordinary savings (Japanese, PDF)
- Japan Post Bank: current interest rates (Japanese)
