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More than ** percent of internet users in Japan used a smartphone in 2024. This constituted a significant increase from less than ** percent in 2020.

Current trends in smartphone usage in Japan

The smartphone penetration rate was forecast to reach about ** percent by 2029, which equaled a total of Ìý³¾¾±±ô±ô¾±´Ç²Ô smartphone users. Despite a low birth rate and an aging and shrinking population, both the number of mobile internet users and the number of social media users were forecast to increase in the coming years, in part reflecting the growing prevalence of smartphones in Japan. While Japanese manufacturers had held a leading position in the mobile phone market prior to the widespread adoption of smartphones, the success of the iPhone has made Apple the most popular smartphone brand in Japan.

The Japanese telecommunications industry

Japan’s major mobile phone providers are NTT Docomo, KDDI Corporation, SoftBank Corp., and Rakuten Mobile. Among these four, NTT Docomo has been holding the highest market share. Next to the major mobile carriers, there are several low-cost mobile service providers in Japan, such as GTN Mobile or SoftBank subsidiary Y!mobile, which offer budget SIM cards and basic data plans that are popular among foreign tourists and customers looking for short-term options. Depending on the carrier, customers can profit from a higher flexibility regarding contract periods, multilingual support for non-Japanese nationals, or the enablement of bill payments without a local bank account or credit card.