LY Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “LY”) and PayPay Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “PayPay”) are pleased to announce that Central Japan Railway Company, West Japan Railway Company, and Kyushu Railway Company (hereinafter referred to as “JR Central, JR West, JR Kyushu”) will commence a new Shinkansen reservation service “EX from LINE” on Saturday, October 4, 2025. This service will allow users to make reservations for the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen trains via LINE, with “PayPay” available as a payment method.
■ Objective of the New Service
JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu are promoting the use of the EX service (consisting of “Express Reservations” and “Smart EX”), an online reservation and ticketless boarding service for the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansens. To further expand the proportion of EX service usage among Shinkansen users, the new EX from LINE service will be introduced to enable Shinkansen reservations through LINE, which has a monthly user base of 99 million (*1). Payments can be accepted via “PayPay,” which has 70 million registered users (*2).
*1. As of the end of June 2025.
*2. As of July 2025.
■ Main Features
Easily Book Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansens from LINE
By adding the official LINE account “Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu Shinkansen Reservation” as a friend on LINE, users can immediately book Shinkansen tickets without registering credit card information, by linking their LINE account and agreeing to the terms of service.
* This service cannot be used with the desktop version of LINE.
Pay using “PayPay”
This service accepts payments through “PayPay”. At the time of service launch “PayPay” is the only accepted payment method.
* Downloading the PayPay app and registering a PayPay account is required.
Ticketless Boarding with an IC Card or QR Code
For boarding, users can board without a ticket by using a registered IC transportation card or a QR code issued for each reservation.
How to Use
STEP 1: Add as a friend first! Select “Shinkansen Reservation” from the LINE talk screen.
STEP 2: Reserve the Shinkansen.
STEP 3: Pay with PayPay.
* All images are for illustrative purposes only.
* First-time users of “EX from LINE” are required to link their LINE account and agree to the “EX from LINE” terms
* This service is different from “Express Reservation” and “Smart EX”. For details on each service, please visit the Express Reservation website (https://expy.jp/), the Smart EX website (https://smart-ex.jp/), or the homepage (https://line-shinkansen.jr-central.co.jp/).
PayPay Corporation is registered as follows:
・Prepaid Payment Instruments (third party type) Issuer (Registration number: Director-General of the Kanto Finance Bureau, No. 00710 / Registration date: October 5, 2018)
・Business Operator that Concludes Contracts on the Handling of Credit Cards (Registration number: Kanto (Ku) No. 106 / Registration date: July 1, 2019)
・Telecommunications Carrier (Filing number: A-02-17943 / Date filed: July 2, 2019)
・Fund Transfer Operator (Registration number: Director-General of the Kanto Finance Bureau, No. 00068 / Registration date: September 25, 2019)
・Bank Agency Services (License: Director-General of the Kanto Finance Bureau (Gindai) No. 396 / Registration date: November 26, 2020)
・Financial Instruments Intermediary Services (Registration number: Kanto Finance Bureau Director (Kinchu) No. 942 / Registration date: June 25, 2021)
・Electronic Payment Agency Services (License: Director-General of the Kanto Finance Bureau (Dendai) No. 109 / Registration date: February 14, 2023)
・Designated Funds Transfer Operator, permitted to provide digital payment of wages （Designation No.: Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare No. 00001 / Date of designation: August 9, 2024)
・Japan Payment Service Association (https://www.s-kessai.jp/, Date of admission: September 12, 2018)
・Japan Consumer Credit Association (https://www.j-credit.or.jp/, Date of admission: July 1, 2019)
* “PayPay” offers four types of electronic money and other services: PayPay Money, PayPay Money Lite, PayPay Points, and PayPay Gift Vouchers.
PayPay Money can be used to pay for partner services and merchants if it is within the amount deposited into the PayPay account opened after completing an identity verification process. It can also be used for sending and receiving money between PayPay users free of charge. PayPay Money can also be cashed out to a designated bank account (no withdrawal fee if using PayPay Bank). The legal nature of this is an electromagnetic record which can be used to pay for goods and services, can be remitted or cashed out, and is issued by PayPay who is a Fund Transfer Operator registered under Article 37 of the Payment Services Act. PayPay Money (Paycheck) refers to PayPay Money that can only be purchased with wages received by the PayPay user in their Paycheck Account. Based on the provisions of Article 43 of the Payment Services Act, PayPay protects the debt it owes to its users by depositing assets equivalent to or higher than the debt amount. PayPay Money Lite is an electronic money issued by PayPay, which can be purchased and used to pay for services and merchants. PayPay users can transfer and receive PayPay Money Lite free of charge. The legal nature of this is a prepaid payment instrument issued by PayPay (Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Payment Services Act). Based on the provisions of Article 14 of the Payment Services Act, PayPay preserves the relevant assets for the purpose of protecting the owners of the prepaid payment instrument by providing a security deposit for issuance to the Legal Affairs Bureau in an amount that is half or more of the unused balance of prepaid instrument methods as of March 31 and September 30. Until the customer’s identity verification is completed, issued PayPay Money Lite (including previously issued ones) is distinguished as PayPay Money Lite (Low Value), and for those customers who have completed identity verification (including previously issued ones), it is classified as PayPay Money Lite (High Value). In addition, PayPay Points, which are granted through campaigns and promotions when using PayPay, can be used for partner services and in transactions at merchants in addition to PayPay Money and PayPay Money Lite. However, it cannot be transferred to other users or cashed out. PayPay Gift Voucher is a type of electronic money issued by PayPay, which can be used to make payments for affiliated services and merchants designated by the PayPay Gift Voucher. However, it cannot be transferred to other users or cashed out. PayPay Gift Vouchers have an expiration date, after which they will no longer be valid. The deadline for Gift Vouchers can be confirmed in the details or specifications of the measure or promotion campaigns for which they are issued.
PayPay also strives to create a safe and secure environment for users. If an unexpected payment is made by a third party using a PayPay account, or if a request to settle a payment suddenly arrives from PayPay to a user that does not have a PayPay account, there is a scheme that ensures compensation for the damages suffered (the difference will be provided as compensation if compensation is also provided by a third party), given that the prescribed conditions are met. Please see
“Applying for compensation” for details.
*Company names, trade names, and product/service names mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
