Using Claude Code in Japan: A Practical Guide
As of 2026-10-07, Japan is on Anthropic's official list of supported countries for both commercial API access and Claude.ai, so the official service is available there. To use it through QCode, top up on the USD tab of the recharge page with a credit card (Visa / Mastercard / AMEX), Apple Pay, Google Pay or cryptocurrency (many coins and networks), then point ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL at https://api.qcode.cc/api. The site and the docs both have Japanese versions.
Updated 2026-10-08
Four key points
Per top-up on the USD tab
The documented limits are Minimum $1 / Maximum $2,000. Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and crypto all sit on the USD tab and credit your USD balance.
Crypto platform fee
The recharge page labels it "0% platform fee · ~1d manual reconcile": on-chain transfers are checked by hand, so expect about a day. 9 cryptocurrencies across 56 networks are supported.
Japanese site and docs
The site is at qcode.cc/ja and the docs live under docs.qcode.cc/ja/docs/. The language menu in the header switches languages and remembers your choice.
Claude Code endpoint
Set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to https://api.qcode.cc/api (no trailing slash) and put your key, which starts with cr_, in ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN.
What you decide when working from Japan
As of 2026-10-07, using Claude Code through QCode from Japan needs no special steps: you only decide how to pay, which endpoint your tools point at, and which language you read the docs in. The docs page QCode for Users Outside Mainland China is built around exactly these three choices. QCode is prepaid: you top up your balance first, then buy a plan from that balance, which creates a key starting with cr_. Buying the plan only deducts from your balance; no card is charged at that step. Your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription is neither used nor consumed.
Docs updates in October 2026
The Payment Methods Overview and QCode for Users Outside Mainland China were updated on 2026-10-01. They state that the USD tab offers credit/debit cards, Apple Pay / Google Pay and cryptocurrency, and that users outside mainland China normally use the USD tab. The CNY tab carries Alipay (labelled "Fee covered by QCode") and WeChat Pay (desktop QR scan and in-app on phones); Russia's SBP and Russian bank cards only appear in the Russian interface. The environment variables and billing pages were updated on 2026-10-07.
Docs timeline
Crypto top-up guide updated: 9 cryptocurrencies across 56 networks.
Payment Methods Overview, the outside-mainland getting-started page and the language settings page updated; USD tab methods and the $1–$2,000 limits documented.
Environment variables, billing and Claude Code feature availability pages updated; this page was checked against Anthropic's supported-countries list the same day.
Confirmed vs not verified
Confirmed (verifiable on official pages)
All checked against primary pages on 2026-10-07: Anthropic's supported-countries page lists Japan under both commercial API access and Claude.ai; QCode keeps separate CNY and USD balances, and users outside mainland China normally use the USD tab; the USD tab offers cards (Visa / Mastercard / AMEX), Apple Pay / Google Pay and crypto, $1–$2,000 per top-up; crypto carries a 0% platform fee with manual reconciliation of about a day; plans are bought from the balance and keys start with cr_; Claude Code connects with ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.qcode.cc/api and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN.
Not verified / out of scope
Three things are not verified: ① Pricing in Japanese yen or topping up in yen is not documented; the documented currency tabs are CNY and USD. ② Your card issuer's exchange rate and foreign transaction fees depend on your card terms and were not checked here; QCode's own card fee is shown on the recharge page. ③ Plan prices and tiers can change, so check qcode.cc/ja/pricing before you buy.
How to choose
Versus using Anthropic directly
Japan is on the official supported list, so you can also use an Anthropic account directly. QCode offers two things here: the USD tab accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay and crypto, and one cr_ key calls Claude, GPT and Chinese models. On the other hand, the docs state that Anthropic account-side features such as cloud sessions and Remote Control do not work with a QCode key.
Versus the mainland China guide
The steps are the same; what differs is the top-up currency and the default endpoint. The mainland guide centres on Alipay and WeChat Pay on the CNY tab, while users outside mainland China normally use the USD tab. The docs make api.qcode.cc the default outside mainland China, and every step on this page uses https://api.qcode.cc/api.
Setup steps
① Sign up with your email via Sign Up at the top right of qcode.cc/ja. ② On the USD tab of the recharge page, pick card, Apple Pay / Google Pay or crypto and top up your balance ($1–$2,000 per top-up). Card payment opens in a new window and credits as soon as it completes, so do not pay twice. ③ Choose and buy a plan; the page shows Subscription Activated and creates a key starting with cr_. ④ In your terminal run export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.qcode.cc/api" and export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="cr_your_key"; in Windows PowerShell use $env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.qcode.cc/api" and $env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "cr_your_key". No trailing slash. ⑤ Run claude in your project directory, switch models with /model and check session usage with /cost. For one-command setup: curl -fsSL https://qcode.cc/install/claude-code.sh | bash (Windows: irm https://qcode.cc/install/claude-code.ps1 | iex).
On QCode
A QCode key is not tied to one protocol: a single cr_ key reaches several model families. As of 2026-10-07, Claude goes through the Anthropic-compatible endpoint https://api.qcode.cc/api, where claude-sonnet-5-5, claude-opus-5-5 and claude-sonnet-5 are among the models callable on QCode; GPT models such as gpt-6.1-sol use the OpenAI-compatible endpoint https://api.qcode.cc/openai/v1; the Chinese models deepseek-v4-pro, glm-5.3, kimi-k3 and qwen3.8-max work on both. Claude models only work over the Anthropic protocol. Billing is per token; see /models for each model's price. Plans last 30 days and are chosen by a daily API spend cap in USD; the Japanese pricing page suggests starting with Starter ($8.57/month).
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Claude Code and the Claude API from Japan?
Yes. As of 2026-10-07, Anthropic's supported-countries page lists Japan under both commercial API access and Claude.ai. Through QCode there is nothing Japan-specific to configure either: top up on the USD tab, set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to https://api.qcode.cc/api, and Claude Code can call the models.
Which payment methods does QCode accept?
The USD tab takes credit/debit cards (Visa / Mastercard / AMEX), Apple Pay, Google Pay and cryptocurrency (many coins and networks); the CNY tab takes Alipay and WeChat Pay. Apple Pay / Google Pay charge a card saved in your wallet through the same checkout as cards. Crypto deposit addresses are only shown on the recharge page after you log in.
Can I pay in Japanese yen?
A yen tab is not documented. As of 2026-10-07 the docs list two currency tabs, CNY and USD, with separate balances; users outside mainland China normally use the USD tab and top up $1–$2,000 at a time. The yen exchange rate and any foreign transaction fee depend on your card issuer and were not verified here.
Is there a Japanese interface and Japanese documentation?
Yes. The site has a Japanese version at qcode.cc/ja and the docs one under docs.qcode.cc/ja/docs/; the header language menu switches between languages, and your choice is remembered in a cookie shared with qcode.cc. Where a page has no Japanese version yet, the docs suggest reading the English one with the same URL ending.
How do I make Claude Code answer in Japanese?
Ask in your prompt, or write a response-language rule into CLAUDE.md. The docs note that the gateway has no language switch; a cr_ key only decides which models you can reach. The docs' example rule tells Claude to use a language you name explicitly for the whole session and to keep code, identifiers, file paths, shell commands and log output exactly as they are. Put it in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md to apply it to every project; /init generates a starting CLAUDE.md.
Do all Claude Code features work with a QCode key?
Local features do, but not all features. In the docs' feature availability table, chat, file read/write, Bash, MCP, Skills, Plugins and subagents were tested as working; cloud sessions, Claude Code on the web, mobile and Remote Control, which depend on the Anthropic account side, do not work. By this service's convention the key goes into ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, not ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.
Sources
Supported countries: Anthropic's official Supported countries and regions page (commercial API and Claude.ai lists). Environment variable definitions: the environment variables page in the Claude Code docs (ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN). Payment methods and limits: the docs.qcode.cc pages Payment Methods Overview, QCode for Users Outside Mainland China and the crypto top-up guide. Setup and model compatibility: the docs.qcode.cc pages on environment variables, endpoints and API paths, and the quick start. Language: the docs.qcode.cc language settings page. Feature availability: the docs.qcode.cc Claude Code feature availability page. Billing and plans: the docs.qcode.cc billing page and qcode.cc/ja/pricing. All fetched on 2026-10-07.
Start from Japan today
Top up on the USD tab with a card or Apple Pay / Google Pay and call Claude, GPT and Chinese models with one cr_ key. Billing is per token; each model's price is on /models.
Related reading
Claude Code in China: Complete Guide
The same kind of guide for developers in mainland China: CNY top-ups and setup.
Pay for Claude API with Apple Pay / Google Pay
Steps and caveats for wallet and card payments on the USD tab.
Claude Code User Guide: From Installation to Mastery
A full tutorial from first steps after installation to advanced features.
Checked on 2026-10-07; Anthropic's official pages and the live content of docs.qcode.cc and qcode.cc take precedence, and upstream changes may happen without notice. Payment methods, limits and plan tiers can change; check /models for model availability.