Telephone
Update date: November 1, 2024
Cell Phone
Cell phones can be purchased at electronics stores or cell phone shops. Since service offerings, sign-up charges, and monthly usage fees vary from company to company, you will need to choose the plan that best serves your needs. You will need to have your passport and Residence Card with you when signing a mobile phone contract.
Unlocking SIMs and Using Mobile Phones from Outside Japan
Cell phones in Japan are usually sold together with a SIM (subscriber identification module) card, and the SIMs in most devices are locked. You can ask the mobile phone company where you purchase your device to unlock it. When you insert a SIM card purchased and contracted in Japan into the cell phone (without the Japanese technical standard mark) you use in your home country, you may use it for a maximum of ninety days after arrival to Japan. If you continue to use your device with the unlocked SIM card beyond the authorized period, however, you will be in violation of the Radio Act.
Main mobile phone companies
Various other companies also offer low-cost SIM card services.