Docomo is joining forces with MasterCard to offer Japanese mobile subscribers roaming abroad the opportunity to make payments via NFC handsets.

The service will allow users of the Japanese operator’s mobile credit card service called iD to make payments at point-of-sale terminals internationally which are enabled with MasterCard’s PayPass technology. The service will launch in 2013.

Services that allow subscribers to make mobile payments when travelling abroad are unusual, although the current announcement follows another by Docomo earlier this week when the operator and Korea’s KT announced plans to enable roaming for a pre-paid mobile money service.

However Docomo and MasterCard’s service will initially only be available to users of two NFC-based Android smartphones offered by the mobile operator: Sony Mobile’s Xperia AXSO-01E and Sharp’s Aquos Phone Zeta SH-02E.

Docomo and MasterCard say the service will be launched in the first half of the financial year that starts at end-March 2013 (March-September, 2013).

Docomo subscribers will have a choice of Paypass-enabled terminals internationally at which they can make payments. MasterCard’s technology is present at about 500,000 terminals in 41 countries (August, 2012 figures).

The two companies say they will also look at other opportunities to develop additional payment services for mobile subscribers. One suggestion they have is a coupon service.

Docomo is part of the Japan Mobile NFC Consortium along with domestic rivals KDDI and Softbank. The group’s mission is to align the country’s Osaifu-Keitai (mobile wallet) service, which is based on Felica technology, with the international versions of NFC which are known as Type A or B.

Customers of the newly announced service will need an iD mobile credit payment service (based on Felica) and a handset enabled with both a Felica chip and NFC (Type A or B) technology.