Japan: number of smartphone users 2027

The number of smartphone users in Japan amounted to more than 107 million in 2022. It was forecast to reach more than 115 million by 2027, which equals an increase of about 28 million users compared to 2018.

Domestic smartphone market

Japan was one of the first countries to develop a mobile phone culture, being home to inventions such as the world’s first camera phone in 1999 as well as the nowadays ubiquitous emojis. The largest mobile phone operators in the country are NTT Docomo, au by KDDI, and SoftBank. These were joined by Rakuten Mobile as the fourth proper mobile network operator (MNO) in 2020. As for mobile phone types, Japanese consumers show a clear preference for smartphones, which make up the majority of monthly domestic mobile phone shipments. The popularity of smartphones in Japan goes hand in hand with an increasing usage of mobile payment methods as well as a booming smartphone gaming market.

Impact of the smartphone game industry

Home to global gaming industry giants such as Nintendo and Sony, Japan also boasts a very competitive market for smartphone games. The domestic smartphone game market size is estimated at more than one trillion Japanese yen, and it is expected to grow further. Dating back to as early as 1999, when predominant mobile operator NTT Docomo made role-playing games (RPGs) such as “Dragon Quest” and “Final Fantasy” available for download on its platform, this genre has been among the most popular ones. To this day, RPGs are among the most commonly experienced mobile game genres in the country, alongside puzzles, music games, and simulations. A survey regarding the frequency of playing mobile games among smartphone users showed that a significant proportion of users play mobile games on an almost daily basis.