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 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
Rakuten Mobile offers the lowest entry price at ¥1,078/month for up to 3GB (¥968 with the Family Program discount), with unlimited domestic …
ahamo
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…
LINEMO
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 …
povo 2.0
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 unli…
Why Rakuten Mobile is our recommendation
Out of Japan's four carriers, Rakuten Mobile is our top pick for most foreigners and international students. It has the lowest entry price, no contract, English support, and bundled roaming. Here's how the billing tiers break down.
- 0–3GB: ¥1,078 per month (tax included) with unlimited domestic voice/SMS through Rakuten Link; the Family Program lowers this to ¥968. Rakuten Mobile official site
- 3–20GB: ¥2,178 per month with 2GB of international roaming across 100+ countries plus Rakuten Link voice. Rakuten Mobile official site
- 20GB+: ¥3,278 per month for unlimited domestic data while the ongoing 700 MHz rollout keeps trains, malls, and low-signal homes covered. Rakuten Group press release (June 27, 2024)
Try our Plan Finder
Usage-pattern matching, savings calculator, roaming estimator, and MNP wizard — all in one place.
Open Plan Finder