Japanese Nintendo eShop Account: How to Set One Up in 2026

Which Nintendo eShop you see comes down to one setting: the country on your Nintendo Account. When it's set to Japan, your Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch opens the Japanese Nintendo eShop, where you can buy Japan-region games and DLC and pay with yen balance from a Japan Nintendo eShop card. This guide is for people who live in Japan or are moving there, including expats, students and anyone working in Japan. It covers changing an existing account to Japan, creating a new Japanese Nintendo eShop account, linking it to your console, and redeeming eShop card and Nintendo Switch Online codes. We checked each step against Nintendo's own support pages in October 2026. Menu names can change after system updates.

Buy a Japan Nintendo eShop card

Who a Japan-region Nintendo Account is for

Nintendo says users should provide accurate and correct information when creating a Nintendo Account, including their country of residence, and its help pages describe changing the country setting when you move to a new country. So a Japan-region account is for people who live in Japan. If you live somewhere else, keep your Nintendo Account set to your own country, and remember that a Japan eShop card can't be added to an account set to another country. Read the Nintendo Account User Agreement shown at sign-up before you accept it.

Things to know before you start

• Games are not region locked. Nintendo says Nintendo Switch 2 game cards are not region locked, and neither are Nintendo Switch game cards, apart from consoles and game cards distributed in the Chinese region. Nintendo also says it hasn't tested all software from other regions and can't guarantee full service and support for it.
• Your eShop follows your Nintendo Account. The eShop country on Switch 2 and Switch always matches the country/region on your Nintendo Account, not where your console was bought.
• Japan codes need a Japan account. Nintendo Japan says download cards and prepaid card numbers sold for Japan can only be redeemed when your Nintendo Account's country/region is set to Japan. Nintendo can't replace, exchange or refund an eShop card bought for a different country, and Nintendo Switch Online codes are region-specific too.
• Overseas payment methods won't work. According to Nintendo Japan, the Japanese eShop doesn't accept credit cards issued outside Japan, PayPal accounts opened outside Japan, or Nintendo prepaid cards sold outside Japan. In Japan, eShop cards are sold as Nintendo Prepaid Cards (ニンテンドープリペイドカード) with a 16-character code.
• Balance rules. A Japanese eShop account can hold up to 120,000 yen in balance, and balance you've added can't be transferred to another user. If you later change your account's country, the balance doesn't carry over.
• The Japan-only Switch 2. The Nintendo Switch 2 日本語・国内専用 (Japanese-language, Japan-only) model runs in Japanese only, uses only the Japanese eShop, and can only link Nintendo Accounts set to Japan. The multi-language model can link accounts from any country or region.
• DLC and region. On Nintendo Switch, Nintendo says DLC only works with games released for the same region as the DLC. On Switch 2 it depends on the software, and Nintendo recommends buying games and DLC made for your console's region.
• Wii U and 3DS. Adding balance to the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop ended in August 2022, and those eShops stopped selling in March 2023, so this guide covers Switch 2 and Switch only.

Moved to Japan? Change your account's country

Nintendo says that if you move to another country, you should change the country on your Nintendo Account. It blocks the change while any of these apply:

• There's Nintendo eShop balance on your account or on an associated child account.
• Automatic renewal is on for Nintendo Switch Online, the Pokémon HOME Premium plan or an in-game subscription.
• You have pre-orders for downloadable content that isn't out yet.

Spend your remaining balance first. Nintendo says it can go toward games, DLC, in-game content or Nintendo Switch Online membership time, and that balance doesn't carry over to the new country and may be permanently lost. Then follow Nintendo's steps:

1. Sign in on the Nintendo Account website (accounts.nintendo.com).
2. Select User Information.
3. In the Profile section, select Edit.
4. Choose Japan from the Country/region of residence list.
5. Select Save changes, read the information about changing your country, then select I agree.

The next time you open Nintendo eShop on your console, you'll see the Japanese eShop. Supervised accounts for children can't be changed on their own; they follow the country of the family group admin. Nintendo also notes that credit cards issued in one region may not work in another region's eShop.

New to Nintendo? Create a Nintendo Account set to Japan

If you live in Japan and don't have a Nintendo Account yet, you can create one on a computer, phone or tablet. Each email address can only be linked to one Nintendo Account.

1. Go to the Nintendo Account website (accounts.nintendo.com) and select Create a Nintendo Account.
2. Enter your date of birth and select Submit. If you're under the age limit, Nintendo asks for a parent or guardian's email address; they create their own account first and add you to their family group.
3. Enter your details yourself, or sign up with a Google or Apple account.
4. Fill in a nickname (10 characters or less), your email address, a password (at least 8 characters), your date of birth, your Country of residence (Japan) and your time zone.
5. Review the Nintendo Account User Agreement and Nintendo Privacy Policy, accept them, then select Submit.
6. Enter the verification code Nintendo emails you and select Verify. If it doesn't arrive, check your spam folder and select Resend verification code.

You can also start from the console. In System Settings, go to Users, select a user, choose Sign in to a Nintendo Account or Link Nintendo Account, then Create a new account. Scan the QR code with a phone to finish on the Nintendo Account website, then sign in on the console.

Link your account to a user on your console

Nintendo says that once a Nintendo Account is linked to a user on your console, it can't be unlinked or changed for that user. So pick a new user, or one that has no Nintendo Account linked yet. Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch each hold up to 8 users.

On Nintendo Switch 2

1. Select System Settings on the HOME Menu.
2. Go to Users and select Add User.
3. Select Sign In to a Nintendo Account and sign in with your Japan-region account.
4. Select OK on the confirmation messages.

On Nintendo Switch

1. Select System Settings on the HOME Menu.
2. Scroll to Users, select Add User, then Create New User.
3. Choose a user icon, enter a nickname and select OK, then OK again.
4. Select Link a Nintendo Account, sign in, check the details and select Link.

Redeem your Japan eShop card

Japan eShop card codes have 16 characters. Nintendo doesn't use the letters O, I or Z, or hyphens, in its codes.

1. Connect your console to the internet and select Nintendo eShop on the HOME Menu.
2. Select the user linked to your Japan-region Nintendo Account. Re-enter your password or PIN if asked.
3. Select Enter Code on the left of the screen. Nintendo Japan's guide shows this option as 番号の入力.
4. Enter the 16-character code from your email.
5. Check the balance to be added and confirm. Nintendo Japan's guide shows the button as 残高を追加する (add balance).

Keep your code private. Enter it only in Nintendo eShop on your own console, and never share it in a Discord server or on a website posing as Nintendo.

Nintendo Switch Online codes for Japan

In Japan, the Nintendo Switch Online individual plan comes in 1-month, 3-month and 12-month terms, and an individual membership covers only the Nintendo Account that bought it. A Nintendo Switch Online Japan 3 or 12-month code is redeemed in much the same way as an eShop card:

1. Open Nintendo eShop and select the user linked to your Japan-region account.
2. Select Enter Code (番号の入力) and enter the 16-character code.
3. Check the details, scroll to the bottom of the page, follow the on-screen instructions and select 申し込む (apply).

On Nintendo Accounts aged 18 or over, Nintendo Japan says redeeming a membership code also turns on automatic renewal, and you'll be asked to choose how the next renewal is paid. You can turn automatic renewal off from Nintendo Switch Online on the HOME Menu or on the Nintendo Account website. It has to be off before you can change your account's country later.

FAQ

Do I need a Japanese Switch to use the Japanese eShop?

No. Nintendo says the eShop country comes from your Nintendo Account, not the console, so a Switch 2 or Switch bought outside Japan works too. The Japan-only Switch 2 model is the exception the other way round: it can only link accounts set to Japan.

I'm only visiting Japan. Can I use a Japan eShop card?

A Japan eShop card can only be redeemed on a Nintendo Account set to Japan, and Nintendo asks for accurate details on your account, including your country of residence. On a short trip, your account should stay set to your home country. Game cards bought in Japan are different: Nintendo says Switch 2 game cards aren't region locked, and neither are Switch game cards apart from the Chinese region, though it can't guarantee full support for software from another region.

Can I use a Japan eShop card on a US, UK or European account?

No. Nintendo says eShop cards only work in the eShop country or region they were sold for, and it can't replace, exchange or refund a card bought for a different region. Check that you're signed in as the user linked to your Japan-region account before you redeem.

I'm leaving Japan. What happens to my balance?

Nintendo won't let you change your account's country while eShop balance remains, and balance doesn't carry over to a new country. Spend it in the Japanese eShop before you change your country, and only add as much as you plan to use.

My code won't redeem. What should I check?

Make sure you're on the user linked to your Japan-region account, the code has 16 characters, and you haven't typed an O, I or Z. Nintendo says codes only work on accounts set to the same country or region they were sold for. If it still fails, contact us with your order number.

Once your account is set to Japan and linked to your console, you're ready to shop. Browse our Japan Nintendo eShop cards to add yen balance to your Japanese Nintendo eShop account. Codes are delivered by email: verified customers get instant email delivery, and first orders need a one-time account verification.

Buy a Japan Nintendo eShop card