KDDI became the latest wallet provider in Japan to join the Mobile Payment Alliance (MoPA), a group founded with the aim of increasing uptake of the technology among retailers and consumers.

The operator joins NTT Docomo, messaging company Line and Merpay parent Mercari in the organisation.

As part of its strategy, MoPA aims to oversee a system where applications provided by member companies are able to accept QR code payments made in retailers with kit provided by any other partner.

This, it believes, will simplify the mobile payments ecosystem and encourage merchants to adopt the technology.

The Japanese government has been actively promoting the move away from cash in the country and offered a number of incentives to encourage this.

MoPA argues the market has been subject to an “overwhelming flood of services” with the organisation pledging to create a “more convenient mobile payment experience for both merchants and users”.

In addition to joining the group, KDDI and its new partners signed a pledge to help increase the availability of cashless transactions in Japan.

All four companies already run mobile wallets in the market, alongside a number of other major players including SoftBank-backed project PayPay.