The JCB Mobile Wallet, which is based on a platform from Dai Nippon Printing, handles payment, loyalty programmes, discounts and other special offers.

The trial will offer users daily discounts at merchants in the trendy shopping district of Omotesando in Tokyo and will test the usability of app functions such as exchanging points for discount coupons and swapping points among users.

JCB says the trial will monitor feedback from users and merchants in order to refine the product ahead of a nationwide roll-out in 2013. The technology will also be exported to other markets beyond Japan "depending upon the needs in each market", states the card brand.

Japan's leading mobile phone operators established an NFC consortium in January to coordinate the adoption of multiple international standards for near field communication technologies in their mobile devices and services.

In October, Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo and South Korean contemporary KT Corporation went a stage further, firming up plans for a cross-border alliance which would enable interoperability between their respective mobile wallet services.