Find the Right Mobile Plan in Japan for Foreigners & Students
Compare mobile plans in Japan side by side — pricing, coverage, and foreigner requirements all in one place.
- Compare 4 carriers
- Rakuten referral available
- Coverage checks
Employee referral available — may earn bonus points
Opens Rakuten Mobile's official application page
Japan mobile guide by a Rakuten Group engineer — may contain affiliate links
Japan's Mobile Carriers
Japan's four major mobile carriers in 2026
There are four main carriers to compare in Japan. Here's a quick snapshot of each — and why Rakuten Mobile is our referral pick for most foreigners and international students.
- Rakuten Mobile offers the lowest entry price at ¥1,078/month for up to 3GB (¥968 with the Family Program discount), with unlimited domestic calls via Rakuten Link and 2GB of international roaming bundled. It surpassed 10 million subscribers in December 2025, confirming mainstream adoption. We offer an employee referral link — see details below. Rakuten Group announcement (January 5, 2026)
- NTT Docomo's ahamo provides 30GB for ¥2,970/month (or 110GB for ¥4,950) on Japan's widest network with 99%+ population coverage. It includes free 5-minute calls and roaming in 91 countries. Best choice if indoor or rural coverage is your top priority. ahamo official site
- SoftBank's LINEMO starts at ¥990/month for 3GB (Best Plan) or ¥2,970/month for 30GB (Best Plan V), both no-contract. LINE messaging data is free on all plans. A solid mid-range option for those already in the SoftBank ecosystem. LINEMO official site
- au's povo 2.0 has a ¥0/month base plan — you buy data add-ons (called toppings) only when you need them: 3GB for ¥990, 1GB for ¥390, or unlimited for 24 hours at ¥330. Flexible for variable or backup-SIM use cases. povo official site
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