Phone and internet in Tokyo: getting connected without a credit history

In Australia you can grab a prepaid SIM at Woolies. In Tokyo you'll need your residence card, a chip reader and some patience.

The short version

• Japanese phone contracts with a number need strict ID checks. From 1 April 2026 online sign-ups must read the IC chip in your ID; in-store contracts follow from April 2027 [1][2].
• Your residence card works for most carriers, but only after your address is registered on it. Some apps reject cards with handwritten updates on the back [2].
• Cheap online plans (Rakuten Mobile, ahamo, povo and others) cost roughly ¥1,000 to ¥3,300 a month in late 2026, far less than the big carriers' shop plans [3].
• Home fibre usually takes two weeks to a month to install, longer in March–April and August–September [4].
• Keep your Australian number alive, or move your myGov and banking logins to an app, before you lose access to SMS codes [5].

Why getting a number is harder than at home

Japan has a scam problem, and the government treats phone numbers as a key tool for fraudsters. Under the law on preventing improper use of mobile phones, carriers must verify who you are before giving you a voice line. The rules keep tightening [1].

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications sets out where it's heading [1]:

• Online contracts have required IC chip reading of your ID since 1 April 2026. Uploading a photo of your card, or posting a copy, is being phased out.
• In-store contracts will generally require IC chip reading from April 2027.
• Data-only SIMs, which used to need no ID at all, are being brought into the identity-check rules. A government bill adopted by Cabinet in March 2026 extends checks to data-only contracts, including for short-term visitors [1][6].
• Line limits. Carriers can cap how many numbers one person holds, and passing a line to someone outside your family without approval isn't allowed [1].

For an Australian, the practical effect is this: you can't really get a proper Japanese mobile number until your residence card is in your hand and your address has been registered at the ward office. That's why the order matters. Our guide to your residence card and ward registration covers that first step.

The residence card quirk

KDDI's povo, for example, now accepts residence cards only through chip reading plus a face scan in its app. It won't accept a card that has no address on the front yet, or one with address updates written on the back, because the back can't be used for verification [2]. If that's you, the options are a fresh residence card from immigration or using a My Number card instead. Expect other app-only carriers to behave the same way.

The chicken-and-egg problem

Here's the loop new arrivals hit: the bank wants a Japanese phone number, the phone company wants a bank account or credit card to bill, and the landlord wants both.

Japan Post Bank, for one, won't accept a foreign number on an account application, though staff can sometimes use a temporary contact number and let you update it later at an ATM [7]. Many cheap online carriers bill only to a credit card, and some accept Australian-issued cards. Carrier shops can often set up billing from a Japanese bank account instead.

A sequence that usually works

1. Land with an eSIM or roaming. Buy a travel eSIM before you fly, or switch on your Australian carrier's roaming for the first week. This gets you maps, LINE and email.
2. Register at the ward office within 14 days, so your address is on your residence card.
3. Get a voice SIM. Sign up online with a carrier that accepts your residence card and an Australian credit card, or visit a big-carrier shop with your residence card and passport.
4. Open your bank account using your new Japanese number. See our guide to opening a bank account in Tokyo.
5. Switch billing to the bank once the account is open, if you want to keep foreign card fees down.
6. Order home internet as soon as you've signed the lease.

Which mobile plan: big carrier or cheap online brand

Japan's mobile market splits into the big carriers' shop brands (docomo, au, SoftBank), their cheaper online sub-brands, Rakuten Mobile, and MVNOs that rent space on the big networks. The online brands are where most Aussies end up, because they're cheaper and have no lock-in.

Prices from a Japanese comparison site, updated October 2026, monthly and tax included [3]:

Big-carrier shop plans cost a lot more, but you get face-to-face help.

Some things to check before you sign:

• English support. Many online brands run their apps and help in Japanese only. Use your phone's camera translator and be patient.
• Calls. Calls usually cost about ¥22 per 30 seconds unless you add a call option or use the carrier's app [3]. Most people just use LINE.
• Roaming home. If you'll fly back to Australia often, a plan with roaming included (like ahamo's) can save buying an eSIM each trip [3].
• SIM-free handset. Most Australian phones sold in recent years aren't carrier-locked and work in Japan, but check your model supports your carrier's bands.

Home internet: fibre, waits and the pocket wifi gap

Japan's fibre is fast and cheap by Australian standards. Getting it switched on is the slow part.

Most of Tokyo uses NTT East's FLET'S Hikari network. You either sign up with NTT East for the line plus a separate internet provider, or go through a "hikari collaboration" brand (SoftBank Hikari, docomo Hikari and others) that bills both on one account [4].

Things that slow it down:

• Landlord permission. Installers may need to drill or run cable. Ask your agent before you order.
• Building type. Check whether your building already has fibre to each flat. Many newer mansions do, which is quicker.

Bridging the gap

While you wait, options include a rented pocket wifi, a bigger data plan on your phone and tethering, or a SIM-based home router. Some fibre providers will lend a pocket wifi until installation is done [4]. Furnished flats and share houses usually include internet, which is one reason many people start there.

If you're only staying a year on a working holiday, a no-contract option can beat fibre once you add up installation and cancellation fees.

Keeping your Australian number

Don't cancel your Aussie SIM in a rush. Australian banks, super funds and government services often send one-time codes by SMS to your Australian number. Lose that number and you can be locked out of your own money.

myGov says to make sure you can still get sign-in codes while overseas. If you sign in with the myGov app, a passkey, Digital ID or secret questions, you don't need to change anything before you go [5]. If you rely on SMS codes, switch methods before you leave. Do the same for your bank's app.

Ways to keep the number cheaply:

1. Move it to a low-cost prepaid plan and top it up enough to keep it active. Check how long your carrier lets a prepaid service sit unused before it disconnects.
2. Use an eSIM for the Aussie number and keep the physical slot for your Japanese SIM, if your phone supports dual SIM.
3. Turn off roaming data on the Australian line to avoid surprise bills, while still receiving texts.
4. Update your number with each provider once your logins no longer depend on SMS.

Our guide to keeping your Australian bank accounts while abroad has more on staying in control of accounts at home.

Staying safe and in touch

Scam texts in Japan often pretend to be from carriers, especially now that data-only users are getting real verification notices. The ministry's advice: check the sender and go to the carrier's official website or app yourself, rather than tapping a link [1].

For emergencies, save the Australian Embassy in Tokyo (+81 3 5232 4111) and the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra (+61 2 6261 3305). Smartraveller also suggests installing NHK's free app for English emergency alerts [8]. That's a good first download on your new Japanese number.

Which carrier is getting the best coverage in your building this month? Ask in Cooee Japan, our Facebook group for Australians in Japan, where members swap SIM and fibre tips.

Sources

1. Identity verification for mobile phone contracts – Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
2. Changes to identity verification for new povo2.0 customers, March 2026 – povo (KDDI)
3. ahamo vs Rakuten Mobile: prices compared, updated October 2026 – Selectra Japan
4. NTT FLET'S Hikari: providers, installation and prices, updated October 2026 – Selectra Japan
5. Accessing myGov while overseas – myGov
6. Japan to tighten law to prevent mobile phone scams – Nippon.com / Jiji Press
7. Support for opening a bank account (Japan Post Bank), 2026 – Tohoku University
8. Japan travel advice – Smartraveller

Keep reading

• Your residence card in Tokyo: ward registration and the My Number card
• Opening a bank account in Tokyo: the hanko, the six-month rule and you
• Renting in Tokyo as an Australian
• Keeping your Australian bank accounts while abroad