How to buy, sell and invest in Japanese stocks from the UK

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for reference purposes only. Wise does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and all information on this page should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. Remember that investments, even in low-risk funds, are never guaranteed and your capital is at risk.

Interested in investing in the Japanese stock market? Perhaps you’re looking to diversify your portfolio, or there’s a particular company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) that you’d like to invest in.

If it’s your first time trading Japanese stocks as a UK investor, read on. We’ve put together a guide to help you get started, covering everything you need to know.

We’ll look at the process of buying, selling and investing in Japanese stocks from the UK, along with opening a trading account and calculating the costs.

We’ll also cover the Wise account. A handy multi-currency account which could help you save on foreign exchange fees when buying or selling international stocks.

So, let’s get started.

Table of contents

How to invest in Japanese stocks from the UK Buying shares in a Japanese company from the UK How to buy Japanese shares in the UK: Step-by-step 1. Open a share trading account 2. Calculate the cost 3. Decide which Japanese shares to purchase Selling or trading shares in a Japanese company from the UK 1. Open a share trading account 2. Understand how much tax you need to pay 3. Calculate the cost Opening hours of international stock markets Don’t let currency conversion trip you up when trading - use Wise

How to invest in Japanese stocks from the UK

There are a few ways you can invest in Japanese stocks as a UK investor. You can buy shares directly, or you can invest in a professionally-managed investment fund such as an exchange-traded fund (EFT).

Here, we’ll mainly be focusing on how to buy and sell shares in Japanese companies directly, via one of the many popular online investment platforms available in the UK.

Buying shares in a Japanese company from the UK

It’s relatively easy to buy shares in the UK from stock markets worldwide, including the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) - one of the largest in the world.

You don’t need a broker, although you can use one if you want - just remember that commission fees will apply.

Otherwise, you can do everything online using an investment platform or app.

All you need to do is create an account, add a linked payment method, and then start placing orders for trades in just a few clicks.

However, before you start trading, it’s important to carry out a few crucial cost calculations to make sure you’re factoring in fees and currency conversion costs. We’ll cover all of that next.

How to buy Japanese shares in the UK: Step-by-step

Now, let’s run through the steps involved in buying shares in a Japanese company as a UK-based investor.

1. Open a share trading account

There are lots of investment platforms available in the UK, and some (but not many) offer direct trading in Japanese stocks.

Some options to check out include:

• Interactive Brokers
• AJ Bell
• Saxo.

It’s a good idea to do some research on providers, comparing fees, features and customer reviews, and choose the right one for you. You can usually open a trading account in just a few simple steps, although there are often additional identity verification processes to complete.

Remember, always check that the company is registered with the FCA (the Financial Conduct Authority - the UK’s financial regulator) to ensure that they are a legitimate company.

2. Calculate the cost

Your chosen trading platform will tell you how much your shares will cost, but you also need to factor in fees and currency conversion costs.

Platforms may charge annual fees, or per-transaction commission fees for trading.

It’s also worth remembering that you can only buy Japanese shares in Japanese yen (JPY). This means that your British pounds (GBP) will need to be converted to JPY somewhere along the way, which may incur foreign currency fees.

To give you an idea of these costs, here are the fees charged by a handful of popular platforms which support trading on the TSE:

Platform	Account fees	Japanese trade (commission) fees	Foreign exchange fees
Interactive Brokers	None	0.01% to 0.08% depending on trade value1	Varies
AJ Bell	0.25%2	£25 per deal (only phone trading available for Japanese markets - which means higher fees)3	0.25% to 0.75% depending on trade value3
Saxo	None (but custody fees apply)	0.03% to 0.08% depending on account tier4	0.25%5

Note: All above investment platform fees were correct as of 4th July 2025.

As you can see, some of these foreign exchange fees are high enough that they can start eating into your return. To avoid these, it could be a good idea to use a Wise account.

With Wise, you can open a JPY account and hold your money until you’re ready to buy (or sell). Then you can trade directly in JPY on your chosen investment platform. When you need to convert money to GBP or into JPY, you can take advantage of Wise’s low fees* and great exchange rates.

3. Decide which Japanese shares to purchase

The last step is to decide which Japanese shares to purchase, and then place the order. You might want to get some professional advice on which companies to invest in.

Selling or trading shares in a Japanese company from the UK

Now we come to the steps involved in selling shares in Japanese companies from the UK.

1. Open a share trading account

If you’ve bought shares, it’s likely that you already have a share trading account. But if you’ve acquired them through another means, such as through inheritance or an employee share scheme, you’ll need to open an account.

Check out one of the options we’ve listed above, making sure to compare prices, features and reviews before signing up. Remember to have some form of photo ID handy in case you’re asked to verify your identity.

2. Understand how much tax you need to pay

When you sell shares in another country, you may need to know what is known as ‘withholding taxes’ or capital gains tax on the income.

And for income earned outside of an ISA or other tax-efficient wrapper, you may also have to pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in the UK.

Tax can be complicated, especially when trading and earning income between two countries. It’s recommended to get professional tax advice to help you understand your obligations.

3. Calculate the cost

When selling Japanese shares, there are a few costs to consider. These include commission or trading fees charged by the platform, along with currency conversion fees.

💡Remember - you can avoid some of these by opening a Wise account and holding your money in JPY until you’re ready to sell/trade your shares.

Here are some of the fees charged by platforms offering international share dealing:

Platform	Japanese trade (commission) fees	Foreign exchange fees
Interactive Brokers	0.01% to 0.08% depending on trade value1	Varies
AJ Bell	£25 per deal (only phone trading available for Japanese markets - which means higher fees)3	0.25% to 0.75% depending on trade value3
Saxo	0.03% to 0.08% depending on account tier4	0.25%5

Note: All above investment platform fees were correct as of 4th July 2025.

There are also a couple of market-specific fees to factor in, such as clearing fees charged by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Opening hours of international stock markets

Stock exchange	Local trading times6	GMT trading times6
Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE)	09:00-15:00	00:00-06:00
London Stock Exchange (LSE)	08:00-16:30	08:00-16:30
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)	09:30-16:00	14:30-21:00
NASDAQ	09:30-16:00	14:30-21:00
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)	10:00-16:00	00:00-06:00
Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSX)	08:00-20:00	07:00-19:00

Don’t let currency conversion trip you up when trading - use Wise

In this article, we’ve looked at how to buy Japanese stock in the UK. We’ve covered everything you need to know to get started, including info on currency conversion when trading shares in another currency.

If you trade in different currencies, you could be hit with extra costs for cross border money transfer.

The good news is that you can use Wise to avoid hidden currency exchange markups. Open a Wise account to convert currency at mid-market exchange rates, for low, transparent fees*.

Why not hold your money in a Wise account until you decide to invest it in your chosen platform? Set up exchange rate alerts with Wise to be notified via email or push notification when the rate drops to your chosen threshold.

You can also use your Wise account to conveniently manage your money in currencies, sending payments to 140+ countries at the mid-market rate for low fees*. There’s also a dedicated secure service for sending large amounts.

There’s even an extra feature, Wise Interest. With Wise Interest you can earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR by opening a Wise account and invest for as little as £1, $1 or €1 in a fund that holds government-guaranteed assets. Growth not guaranteed. Capital at risk.

Capital at risk. Growth not guaranteed. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you’re uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

You may also be interested in the following articles:

• How to invest in US stocks in the UK
• How to invest in Chinese stocks from the UK
• How to invest in the S&P 500 in the UK
• How to buy shares in Apple (AAPL)

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Sources used:

1. Interactive Brokers- commissions
2. AJ Bell - dealing account charges
3. AJ Bell - international dealing
4. Saxo - transaction fees - stocks
5. Saxo - general charges and fees
6. CMC Markets - stock market trading hours

Sources last checked on date: 04-Jul-2025