The range of U.S.-listed ETFs available to retail investors in Japan continues to grow steadily. For over five years, Japanese investors have been trading and investing in U.S.-listed ETFs through domestic online brokerage platforms.
These ETFs, while listed on U.S. exchanges, are made accessible in Japan only after being registered for sale by their issuers. Once registered, Japanese online brokers can choose to offer them on their platforms. It’s important to note that these ETFs are not listed on any Japanese exchange—they are simply made available for trading through brokerage channels.
American Century, Calamos Investments, Granite Shares, NEOS Investments, and REX Shares are issuers that have more recently registered some of their ETFs for sale in Japan. In addition, many existing issuers have expanded their offerings by registering more U.S.-listed ETFs for Japanese investors.
Over the past three years, Matsui has recorded the largest increase in the number of U.S.-listed ETFs available on its platform, adding 366 new ETFs. In contrast, Nomura Securities has kept its offering unchanged, maintaining 158 ETFs over the same period.
Access to U.S. Listed ETFs Expands for Japanese retail investors
Source: ETFGI, online broker platform websites as of March 2025. Special thanks to Kazu.
Note: auKabucom Securities has been renamed to Mitsubishi UFJ e-Smart Securities. This change occurred in early 2025 followed a corporate restructuring in which Mitsubishi UFJ Bank acquired full ownership of auKabucom, after KDDI sold its 49% stake in auKabucom to MUFG.
