How many people in Japan use 5G, how much mobile data does an average line use, and which network is fastest? This page collects the latest official and independent figures on mobile internet in Japan in one place, with the date and source for each number. Most figures come from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), which publishes contract, coverage and traffic data reported by the carriers.
Last checked: 9 November 2026. Each figure shows the date it refers to.
Key numbers at a glance
| Metric | Figure | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile phone contracts | 228.55 million | 31 March 2025 | MIC |
| 5G contracts | 122.42 million (+14.3% year on year) | 31 December 2025 | MIC |
| 4G (LTE) contracts | 108.77 million (-4.1% year on year) | 31 December 2025 | MIC |
| MVNO share of mobile contracts | 18.0% | 31 December 2025 | MIC |
| 5G population coverage (all four networks combined) | 98.6% | 31 March 2026 | MIC |
| Average mobile data per contract | 47,150.6 bps, about 15 GB per 30 days | March 2026 | MIC (GB conversion ours) |
| Total mobile data traffic (monthly average) | 11,139.7 Gbps (+19.7% year on year) | March 2026 | MIC |
| 5G base stations | 302,118 | 31 March 2025 | MIC |
| Fastest average download speed | SoftBank, 71.5 Mbps | July to September 2026 | Opensignal |
5G has overtaken 4G
Japan's mobile market is now mainly 5G. MIC counted 122.42 million 5G contracts at the end of 2025, up 14.3% in a year, against 108.77 million LTE contracts, down 4.1%. According to the Telecom Services Association, 5G contracts first passed 4G contracts at the end of June 2025.
All 3G networks have also closed. The last one, NTT Docomo's FOMA, shut down on 31 March 2026, so every phone in use now connects over 4G or 5G. Our comparison of Japan's mobile carriers covers the shutdown dates for each carrier.
5G coverage
MIC reports 98.6% national 5G population coverage at the end of March 2026, combining the areas of NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile. A year earlier the figure was 98.4%.
Coverage varies by prefecture, from 89.2% to 99.9%. Big urban prefectures such as Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Aichi and Fukuoka are above 99%, while Shimane (89.2%), Kochi (92.5%) and Iwate (93.3%) are below 95%. The government's target is 99% coverage nationally and in every prefecture by the end of March 2031 (fiscal 2030).
Population coverage measures where people live, not every mountain road. In rural areas you may still drop to 4G.
5G base stations by operator
| Operator | 5G base stations (31 March 2025) |
|---|---|
| KDDI | 110,037 |
| SoftBank | 104,441 |
| NTT Docomo | 52,532 |
| Rakuten Mobile | 35,108 |
| Total | 302,118 |
Figures are from MIC's FY2025 spectrum use survey. More than half of all 5G base stations (155,721) supported 5G standalone (SA) at that point.
How much mobile data people use
MIC's March 2026 traffic report puts the average mobile data per contract at 47,150.6 bps, up 15.8% in a year. Spread over a 30-day month, that works out to roughly 15 GB per contract, or about 0.5 GB a day. Total mobile traffic averaged 11,139.7 Gbps in March 2026, 1.2 times the level a year earlier and 2.8 times the level when 5G launched in March 2020.
This is an average across all contracts, including tablets, routers and IoT devices, so individual smartphone use varies widely. For comparison, MIC estimates that home fixed broadband contracts download about 10.4 GB a day (May 2026), around 20 times the mobile average.
For travellers: if you mainly use maps, messaging and social media, 0.5 to 1 GB a day is a reasonable starting point for a Japan eSIM. Heavy video streaming or tethering a laptop needs more.
Network speed and quality
Independent tests from Opensignal, based on real users' phones between 1 July and 28 September 2026, found:
- SoftBank had the fastest average download speed at 71.5 Mbps, almost 10% faster than in the previous report.
- au (KDDI) won the most categories (10 of 18 outright), leading on consistent quality and app experience.
- NTT Docomo led on coverage.
- Rakuten Mobile won the upload speed categories in all eight regions.
In practice, all four networks are fast enough for maps, video calls and streaming in cities. The differences matter more in rural areas and inside large buildings, where coverage and low-band spectrum count for more than peak speed.
MVNOs: cheaper brands on the same networks
MVNOs, brands that rent capacity on the four networks, held 18.0% of mobile contracts at the end of 2025, up 1.7 points in a year. At the end of September 2025 that share represented about 40.66 million contracts. Travel eSIMs sold to visitors are also a form of reselling: they run on one of the four networks, usually Docomo, KDDI or SoftBank.
Sources
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Mobile traffic status, March 2026
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, White Paper 2026: broadband contracts (5G and LTE contracts, end of 2025)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, White Paper 2026: voice service contracts and shares (MVNO share, end of 2025)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 5G deployment status, end of FY2025 (published 27 July 2026)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Voice communication usage FY2024 (mobile contracts, 31 March 2025)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Internet traffic, May 2026 (fixed broadband)
- K-tai Watch, 5G base stations by operator, MIC FY2025 survey
- Telecom Services Association, MVNO policy proposals 2026 (MVNO contracts, September 2025; 5G passing 4G)
- Opensignal, Japan Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2026
More guides
Japan's mobile carriers compared: Docomo, au, SoftBank and Rakuten (2026)
How Japan's four mobile network operators compare on market share, spectrum bands, sub-brands and 3G shutdown dates, with figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and what it means for your phone.
SIM card and eSIM at Narita and Haneda: counters, vending machines and hours
Where to buy a SIM card or rent Wi-Fi at Narita and Haneda airports, terminal by terminal, with opening hours from the official airport pages and what to do if you land late.
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