An International Reply Coupon, or IRC, is exchanged for postage stamps; it is not a stamp to attach to your reply envelope. In Japan, the coupon’s exchange value depends on the version you hold. For the design currently described by Japan Post, a coupon sold abroad exchanges for ¥160 in Japanese stamps, while a Japan-issued coupon marked ¥150 exchanges for ¥130. Japan Post: International Reply Coupon
There is also a dated exception to check: Japan Post’s Japanese page says the displayed design bearing a printed expiry of 31 December 2025 or 31 December 2026 can be exchanged through 31 December 2026. This is not a statement that every old coupon remains valid. Japan Post: Japanese exchange table
This guide is desk research, not a tested counter transaction. It covers exchange in Japan using the design Japan Post labels as sold from 1 October 2021.
Identify the coupon before calculating its value
Japan Post lists a current sales price of ¥180 per coupon. That purchase price is not automatically the Japanese postage value received in exchange.
| Coupon in Japan Post's displayed design group | Japanese stamps received per coupon |
|---|---|
| Sold in Japan, printed sales value ¥150 | ¥130 |
| Sold in Japan, printed sales value ¥180 | ¥160 |
| Sold outside Japan | ¥160 |
These are Japan Post’s exchange categories, not currency conversions or refund amounts. Read the issuing origin and printed value together. A coupon bought abroad is not assigned a Japanese stamp value by converting its foreign purchase price. Japan Post: rates and exchange categories
Resolve the English and Japanese deadline wording carefully
At this source check, the English table uses broad wording about exchange regardless of the printed validity period. The Japanese table gives a specific end date for the illustrated design: 31 December 2026, including coupons printed with either of the two dates above. Use that specific date for planning an exchange in Japan; do not interpret the English wording as unlimited validity. English table, Japanese table
If you hold an older or different design, the table does not settle its eligibility. Show the actual coupon to Japan Post before relying on it. This guide also does not establish what another country’s postal operator will accept.
For a reply request sent late in the year, consider when the recipient can realistically perform the exchange. Sending a request before the deadline does not itself mean the recipient has exchanged the coupon by that date.
Work from the reply’s postage, not the coupon’s purchase price
Here is a hypothetical arithmetic example, not a quoted Japan Post rate. Assume the correct postage for a particular reply has separately been established as ¥320.
Two coupons with a ¥160 exchange value provide:
2 × ¥160 = ¥320 in stamps.
Two Japan-issued coupons marked ¥150 provide:
2 × ¥130 = ¥260 in stamps.
In the second case, the difference is ¥320 − ¥260 = ¥60. Paying ¥300 to obtain those two coupons originally would not change their exchange value. The recipient would still need enough valid postage for the actual reply.
The example shows why counting coupons alone can be misleading. It does not determine how many coupons a university or company wants enclosed, nor whether a particular reply actually costs ¥320.
Agree on the return method before enclosing coupons
An IRC can help when you cannot obtain the destination country’s stamps, but the person or office replying must be willing to exchange and use it. Japan Post notes that heavier replies may require more than one coupon. Japan Post: purpose and weight limitation
Before mailing a request, ask the receiving office which return method it accepts and what it needs for the expected documents. Prepare a short note listing the reply destination, the agreed method and the number and type of coupons enclosed. Keep the outward mailing postage separate from that return-postage plan.
An institution asking for a specific return envelope or another payment arrangement has not necessarily agreed to handle IRCs. Confirm that point first. Local coupon stock, the office’s processing time, and exchange rules after 31 December 2026 remain outside what this guide has verified.