The live yen-to-pound rate, updated every minute. Book JPY→GBP with SummitFX on WhatsApp — we accept incoming JPY via SWIFT and settle GBP via UK Faster Payments.
Use the tabs to view the last week, month, year, or five years of daily closing rates. The shaded band shows the high-low range for the period — a quick visual read on volatility.
Type in either box — enter a JPY amount to see what you'd get in GBP, or enter a target GBP amount to see how many yen you'd need. Calculated at the live mid-market rate shown above.
Note: The rate shown is the live mid-market rate. Your actual executable rate includes a small spread — typically 0.4–0.8% at SummitFX vs 2–4% at a UK high street bank. We'll always show the full breakdown before you book.
JPY/GBP is the mirror of GBP/JPY — read from the Japanese side. The pair moves on Bank of Japan policy, Bank of England policy, global risk sentiment, and carry-trade flows. As JPY is a safe-haven currency and GBP a moderate risk-on currency, JPY/GBP typically rises sharply in global stress episodes and falls during bullish risk-on phases.
Bank of Japan policy: The BoJ has run the world's loosest monetary policy for decades — yield curve control, negative rates, massive bond and ETF buying. Slow normalisation under Governor Ueda is now under way, and every BoJ meeting is closely watched for hints of further policy shifts. Decisions and the post-meeting press conference are the biggest scheduled JPY events.
Japanese inflation: Japan emerged from chronic deflation only recently. Sustained inflation above 2% justifies BoJ normalisation; soft prints push expectations the other way. CPI moves the yen disproportionately compared to other major economies because it's such a meaningful policy signal.
Safe-haven repatriation: Japanese institutions hold trillions in foreign assets. In stress episodes they repatriate, generating massive JPY buying. This is the single most important driver of JPY strength during global crises — and what makes JPY/GBP rally sharply in risk-off.
Fiscal year-end flows (March): Japanese companies and institutions rebalance around the 31 March fiscal year-end. Repatriation flows in February-March often strengthen JPY; April often weakens it as new fiscal-year outbound flows resume.
Ministry of Finance intervention: Japan's MoF has a long history of FX intervention. Verbal warnings ('excessive moves', 'speculative behaviour') often precede actual intervention. Intervention risk premia get priced into the yen when USD/JPY reaches historically extreme levels.
Bank of England policy: The BoE's MPC sets UK interest rates (3.75% in early 2026). The BoE-BoJ policy gap remains wide, supporting GBP carry against JPY in stable environments. The gap has narrowed slightly as BoJ normalises but remains a fundamental driver of the pair.
UK CPI: Hot UK CPI supports sterling by delaying BoE cuts. Wage growth data is especially important to the MPC. Both releases can move the pair meaningfully on the day.
UK PMIs and GDP: Growth surveys and quarterly GDP prints are watched for evidence of UK economic momentum. Strong UK data tends to push JPY/GBP lower (sterling stronger).
UK political risk: Leadership changes, confidence votes, and fiscal credibility events add a risk premium to sterling. UK-specific stress benefits JPY disproportionately as a safe haven, pushing JPY/GBP higher.
Carry trade dynamics: Sterling has historically been a carry-trade target (high yield) versus yen (funding currency). When carry trades work, JPY/GBP drifts lower. When carry trades unwind on stress, JPY/GBP can rally sharply in compressed time frames.
Japan and the UK are major bilateral trade and investment partners. The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in 2020, is one of Japan's most far-reaching post-Brexit FTAs. Bilateral trade is worth around £28 billion annually, with services and high-value manufacturing dominating. Beyond trade, Japanese investment in the UK is enormous — Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Hitachi, and Softbank all maintain substantial UK operations. The corridor carries constant institutional and corporate flow in both directions.
JPY→GBP settles in two legs: your JPY arrives via SWIFT, we convert, and we pay out GBP via UK Faster Payments. Time-zone alignment is challenging — Japan is 8-9 hours ahead of the UK, so Japanese morning bookings reach the UK by mid-morning UK time, but Japanese afternoon bookings often arrive after our cutoff.
Three things most commonly cause JPY→GBP transfers to miss same-day settlement:
Late JPY arrival in UK time. Our cutoff is 11:00 UK time for same-day GBP settlement — early because we need conversion done while UK banks are processing actively. JPY wires sent from Japan in the morning typically arrive in the UK by mid-morning UK time, but Japanese afternoon bookings often miss our cutoff. Plan to send from Japan early in their business day.
Japanese intermediary bank holds. SWIFT wires from regional Japanese banks often route through a megabank (MUFG, Mizuho, SMBC) before reaching our European correspondent. This typically adds 1-2 hours of internal processing.
UK or Japanese bank holidays. If UK banks are closed, Faster Payments may post the following business day. If Japanese banks are closed (Golden Week, Obon, New Year), your JPY wire won't be initiated. Plan around both calendars when settlement timing is critical.
For tight GBP deadlines — UK property completions, HMRC payments, supplier invoices — book the day before and let the conversion settle overnight. Forward contracts are particularly valuable for the JPY/GBP corridor given the pair's volatility and carry-trade sensitivity.
JPY/GBP is the corridor for Japanese residents and businesses with meaningful sterling obligations, plus UK-bound flows from Japanese expats, investors, and companies with UK operations. Common use cases:
Japanese buyers purchasing investment or residential property in London. UK conveyancing typically runs 8–12 weeks; forward contracts protect deal economics from currency moves during that window. JPY weakness has historically driven Japanese capital toward UK property.
Japanese institutional and high-net-worth investors allocating to UK equities, gilts, or commercial real estate. These are typically large one-off conversions where broker spreads vs bank spreads compound meaningfully across institutional volumes.
Japanese parent companies funding UK operations or paying UK-based suppliers. Tight spreads on regular high-volume payments protect operational margins, particularly for the large Japanese manufacturing presence in the UK.
Japanese expats who lived in the UK returning home, or Japanese-Brits with assets to repatriate. Large one-off transfers where broker access provides material savings vs bank rates.
Japanese residents supporting family or paying expenses in the UK, including students at UK universities. Predictable payment schedules suit forwards or rate alerts. The reverse — UK family supporting students or relatives in Japan — is also common.
Japanese residents holding UK-listed stocks, UK property, or UK pension entitlements. Topping up brokerage accounts or paying property expenses requires regular JPY-to-GBP conversion. The yen's volatility makes timing important — rate alerts help.
You can convert yen to pounds through your bank, through a transfer app, or through a broker. JPY/GBP is volatile, which makes broker access and rate-locking particularly valuable for this corridor.
Everything clients typically ask about sending yen to pounds. Still have questions? Message us on WhatsApp — a real dealer, not a bot, will reply.
We never forecast — but the chart above puts today's rate in context. JPY/GBP often reflects global risk sentiment more than UK or Japanese data, so timing is often a view on broader macro themes. Rate alerts let you set a target level and wait passively.
Japanese and UK banks typically mark up JPY/GBP by 2–4% for retail customers. SummitFX spreads are 0.4–0.8% depending on size. On a ¥30,000,000 UK property deposit (~£150,000), the saving versus a bank can run into thousands of pounds.
If your JPY arrives with us by 11:00 UK time on a UK business day, we settle the GBP the same day. UK Faster Payments post within minutes to most UK accounts. Send your JPY wire in the Japanese morning to give the best chance of same-day UK settlement — this corresponds to overnight UK hours, so the wire is typically arriving as the UK business day starts.
Yes. UK conveyancing typically runs 8–12 weeks during which JPY/GBP can move meaningfully. A forward contract fixes today's rate for delivery on completion day. You pay a deposit (5–10% of the trade) upfront and settle the balance at completion.
No hard minimum — we handle trades from ¥100,000 to ¥1bn+. Below around ¥1,000,000 (~£5,000) the spread widens slightly to cover fixed execution costs. For recurring smaller payments, market orders or standing arrangements work better than ad-hoc bookings.
The rate shown on Google, XE, or the chart above is the mid-market rate — the midpoint of interbank buy and sell quotes. Nobody gets exactly that rate; providers add a margin. Banks typically 2–4%, Wise 0.5–0.8%, SummitFX 0.4–0.8% — with our clients also getting a named dealer and WhatsApp access.
Yes. This page streams the live rate continuously, and WhatsApp is always open — send 'quote' and we reply in seconds with a live rate and the full breakdown on your specified amount. No obligation to book.
Your rate is locked the moment you reply CONFIRM on a quote. Even if a carry-trade unwind or risk-off event sends JPY/GBP 2% higher in a single session before your wire reaches us, the rate you receive stays exactly as booked. JPY can move sharply on global news; locking in advance is essential for any time-critical UK payment.
Message us on WhatsApp and we'll have a live executable rate back in seconds.