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More than ** percent of people in Japan owned a smartphone in 2024. The smartphone penetration rate has increased significantly compared to the mid-2010s.

Apple’s triumph in Japan

Based on shipment volume, Apple holds the largest market share within the Japanese smartphone market. The first iPhone entered the Japanese market in 2008. SoftBank played a pivotal role in Apple’s triumphant journey, marked by the acquisition of exclusive rights for three years and a well-executed strategy based on competitive pricing and aggressive marketing. Consequently, the iPhone emerged as one of the earliest widely adopted smartphones in Japan. Since then, iPhones have consistently held a distinct appeal among Japanese consumers and regularly dominate the ranking of the best-selling smartphone models in Japan.

5G networks in Japan

One of the major developments for the Japanese mobile communications market in recent years was the introduction of fifth-generation (5G) networks in 2020. While Japan's major mobile carriers commenced offering commercial 5G services from March 2020 onward, Rakuten Mobile joined as the country's fourth major carrier and started rolling out its 5G network in September 2020. The implementation of 5G technologies ushered in substantially higher speeds, an increased capacity, and a lower latency, particularly benefiting activities such as online streaming and mobile gaming. A recent survey underscored that smartphones are the primary devices for accessing the internet in Japan, further emphasizing the pivotal role of these devices in shaping the country's digital landscape.