Square has launched its free mobile payments reader and app in Japan, the company’s first journey out of North America and a bold move in a mature mobile payments market. 

The company has partnered with the Sumitomo Mitsui Card Corporation, which introduced Visa payments to the rustic, to help with the move. The transaction fee is slightly higher than Square charges within the US and Canada, 3.25 per cent in place of 2.75 per cent, which has become something of an industry standard. 

Square would not charge for the reader or the iOS and Android app they usually have assured customers that the velocity of deposit won’t be slowed around the Pacific. Its customers may also expect to showcase their business in its online directory of companies that accept mobile payments of their area.

Homegrown NTT Docomo already works with Japan’s Softbank to give quite a few mobile transaction opportunities on its handsets, including contactless mPayments on its wallet platform, available at vending machines, in taxis and at McDonalds. The corporate also offers loyalty card services and a free reader and app for users to just accept payments. 

PayPal is likewise working in Japan too, and gives a free reader and a promise of no monthly accounts fees, but its transactional arrangement, starting at 3.6 per cent plus 40 Yen and extending to five per cent to be used of Here, is rather less clear and dearer.

Owner of Square, Jack Dorsey, who also founded Twitter, has reached out the the folk of Japan with a hand-signed letter, invoking the Japanese tradition of Wabi Sabi, which he said inspires his work.

Meanwhile, Square has also began to dish out invites to a service called Square Cash, which looks to be its first step into look-to-peer payments, initially via email.