Mizuho vs Shinsei vs MUFJ vs Citibank vs HSBC.
 

I need to open an account and am deciding between the following banks: Mizuho, Shinsei, MUFJ, Citibank, HSBC.

Could you give me your thoughts on which is the better of those banks. Pros and Cons, ranking of size and number of ATMs would be appreciated.

for example, I understand that Mizuho is the largest Japanese bank, but requires a minimum residency of 6 months before opening an account. While Shinsei offers free ATM withdrawal from any 711.

Domo.

I know both Shinsei and Citi allows you to wire money to bank accounts in overseas so that would be an obvious benefit.

I have both Mizuho and Citi account and I use these accounts for different purposes.

For example, I do domestic wires with Mizuho while using Citi as a main back for paying bills and also send money overseas.

I am, however, interested in opening a new account with Shinsei and I will look into more info about it and let others know what I think.

Shinsei bank is probably the best bet. They don't charge the multiple fees that other large Japanese banks do, and if you are in the metro Tokyo area, you'll usually find English speaking tellers at their branches.