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The number of smartphone users in Japan amounted to **** million in 2024. It was forecast to reach more than *** million by 2029.

Domestic smartphone market

Japan was one of the first countries to develop a mobile phone culture, being home to inventions such as the world’s first camera phone in 1999 as well as the nowadays ubiquitous emojis. The largest mobile phone operators in the country are NTT Docomo, au by KDDI, and SoftBank. Rakuten Mobile joined as the fourth proper mobile network operator (MNO) in 2020. As for mobile phone types, Japanese consumers show a clear preference for smartphones, which make up the majority of monthly domestic mobile phone shipments. The popularity of smartphones in Japan goes hand in hand with an increasing use of streaming services as well as other forms of mobile entertainment.

Popularity of smartphone gaming

Home to global gaming industry giants such as Nintendo and Sony, Japan also boasts a very competitive mobile gaming market. A survey regarding the frequency of playing smartphone games showed that a majority of smartphone gamers play games on a daily basis. The most commonly played smartphone game genres are puzzle games, location-based games, and role-playing games (RPGs) of various kinds. Dating back to as early as 1999, when NTT Docomo made RPGs such as “Dragon Quest” and “Final Fantasy” available for download on its platform, this genre has been among the more popular ones.