This page contains promotions (affiliate links) (Editorial & ad policy)
Cheap mobile plans in Japan: 5 for about 10 GB a month
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Cheap SIM plans for Japan residents: five, all under ¥3,000 a month
- Noon speed runs from 5.87 Mbps (IIJmio) to 134.40 (LINEMO)
- Rakuten has free app calls; povo has no monthly fee
The five
| Best for | Where to get it | Score | Monthly, around 10 GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 GB and calls for less than anyone else — if you can’t decide | Nihon Tsushin SIM (b-mobile) Get it |
75/100 | ¥1,390 (per month) |
| Fastest at midday, and cheaper in a quiet month | LINEMO Get it |
75/100 | ¥2,090 (per month) |
| Free domestic calls through its app, and shops you can walk into | Rakuten Mobile Get it |
75/100 | ¥2,178 (per month) |
| 10 GB at the bottom of the market, from the biggest independent | IIJmio Get it |
69/100 | ¥1,400 (per month) |
| No monthly fee at all — you buy data when you need it | povo2.0 Get it |
69/100 | ¥2,760 (per month) |
These are Japanese services. Where a plan needs a Japanese address, a bank account or a residence card, we say so on the row itself.
20 GB and calls for less than anyone else
- Calls are included in the 20 GB price
- Both calling options work from the phone’s ordinary dialler, no special app
Why it made the five
-
20 GB with either five-minute unlimited calling or 70 free minutes a month
-
Runs on the Docomo network; an eSIM can be live twenty minutes after you apply
-
No contract period and no cancellation fee
-
Right for: Wanting data and calls in one low monthly figure.
-
Not for: Needing speed at lunchtime — independent operators slow down when the network is busy.
-
Worth knowing: There is a ¥3,300 set-up fee. It was not in the speed survey, so its quality star is inferred from comparable Docomo-network operators.
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | Not measured; comparable Docomo-network operators ran 1–6 Mbps at noon, so we judged it accordingly |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥1,390 a month for 20 GB — the cheapest here with calls included |
| Easy to live with | ★★★☆☆ | Calls included in the price; eSIM live in about twenty minutes; no shops found |
| Trust | ★★★★★ | First in J.D. Power 2025 for MVNOs (695 points) and first in MMD Labo’s August 2026 MVNO satisfaction survey (791 points) |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | The only one here letting you choose between five-minute unlimited calling and 70 free minutes, both from the standard dialler |
Fastest at midday, and cheaper in a quiet month
- SoftBank’s online-only brand
- Quickest line measured when the network is under load
- Bill is set by how much you actually used
Why it made the five
-
Two price steps, up to 3 GB and up to 10 GB, applied automatically
-
LINE messages, voice and video calls do not count against your data
-
Fastest noon download speed of the fourteen lines measured
-
Right for: Months that vary, and wanting speed in the middle of the day.
-
Not for: Regularly going over 10 GB, or wanting a shop to help you.
-
Worth knowing: Calls are ¥22 per 30 seconds. If you use the phone, add a calling option (¥550 or ¥1,650).
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★★ | SoftBank network. 134.40 Mbps at noon, second of fourteen lines, and first across all hours at 124.41 |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | ¥2,090 a month between 3 GB and 10 GB; ¥990 under 3 GB |
| Easy to live with | ★★★☆☆ | Bill falls automatically with light use; eSIM live immediately; calls charged separately |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | Second in J.D. Power 2025 for online-only brands (672) and second in MMD Labo’s August 2026 survey of nine carrier brands (731) |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | LINE traffic free of charge, combined with usage-based pricing — nobody else here does both |
Free domestic calls through its app, and shops you can walk into
- Runs its own network rather than renting one
- No data cap: past 20 GB the plan becomes unlimited at a fixed price
Why it made the five
-
Unlimited free domestic calls through the Rakuten Link app, with some numbers excepted
-
Three price steps by usage; under 3 GB costs less automatically
-
Unlimited data above 20 GB at a fixed ¥3,278
-
Shops nationwide
-
Right for: Making a lot of calls, or wanting somewhere to go with a problem.
-
Not for: Needing a reliable signal deep inside buildings or underground.
-
Worth knowing: Calls are only free from the Rakuten Link app — the standard dialler costs ¥22 per 30 seconds.
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Rakuten’s own network. 12.53 Mbps at noon, averaged across the two measurement areas |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | ¥2,178 a month between 3 GB and 20 GB, without family discounts |
| Easy to live with | ★★★★★ | Free app calls, nationwide shops, and a bill that falls with light use: the maximum |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | Third in MMD Labo’s August 2026 survey of nine carrier brands (726). Passed 10 million lines in December 2025 |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | The only one here with unlimited free domestic calls through an app, and a single plan that climbs to unlimited data |
10 GB at the bottom of the market, from the biggest independent
- Largest independent operator in Japan by users
- Buy close to what you use rather than rounding up
Why it made the five
-
Eight tiers from 2 GB to 55 GB, with 5 GB and 15 GB either side of 10
-
Docomo or au network, your choice, at the same price
-
Unused data carries over to the following month
-
eSIM can be live the same day
-
Right for: Knowing roughly what you use each month and wanting the bill as low as it goes.
-
Not for: Wanting video or app updates to be quick over lunch.
Score breakdown — 69/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | Docomo or au. 5.87 Mbps at noon on the Docomo line; 32.33 Mbps averaged across all hours |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | ¥1,400 a month for 10 GB; ¥950 for 5 GB; ¥1,600 for 15 GB |
| Easy to live with | ★★☆☆☆ | eSIM same day, but calls are a paid add-on and there are no shops |
| Trust | ★★★★★ | First in MM Research’s independent-SIM operator share at March 2026, first as a main MVNO in MMD Labo’s August 2026 survey (13.1%), third in J.D. Power 2025 (660) |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | Eight tiers, a choice of two networks and data rollover — individually matched elsewhere, but rarely together |
No monthly fee at all — you buy data when you need it
- Runs on KDDI’s au network, which held up well at midday
- Suits uneven months: a big bundle when you travel, nothing when you do not
Why it made the five
-
No monthly base charge; buy data and calling in the app as needed
-
au network, among the faster lines at noon
-
Short bundles available, including 24 hours of unlimited data
-
Five-minute unlimited calling as a ¥550 topping
-
Right for: Months that differ wildly, and being happy to manage it yourself.
-
Not for: Using about 10 GB every month — buying it monthly works out dearer.
-
Worth knowing: If you buy no paid topping for 180 days the line can be suspended or cancelled, unless your call charges exceed ¥660.
Score breakdown — 69/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | au network. 79.32 Mbps at noon, 74.50 across all hours |
| Value for money | ★★☆☆☆ | Two 5 GB/30-day bundles to reach 10 GB is ¥2,760; a single 3 GB bundle is ¥990 |
| Easy to live with | ★★★☆☆ | No base charge, everything in the app; calling is a paid topping |
| Trust | ★★★★★ | First in J.D. Power 2025 for online-only brands (703) and first in MMD Labo’s August 2026 survey of nine carrier brands (750) |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | The only zero-base-charge plan here, with bundles as short as 24 hours |
Know before you buy
- The big carriers’ online-only brands — ahamo, povo, LINEMO — stay fast at lunchtime. The independent operators are measurably slower when the network is busy.
- Independent operators rent capacity from the carriers, which is why they are cheaper and why midday is their weak point. Measured at noon in March 2026: LINEMO 134 Mbps, ahamo 80, povo 79, but IIJmio 5.9, Aeon 6.0 and mineo 1.4.
- Some plans charge by how much you actually used — if you stay under 3 GB in a quiet month, the bill falls on its own.
- Calls are extra almost everywhere. Two of these include them in the monthly price, and one makes domestic calls free through its own app.
- To sign up you will generally need a Japanese address, a Japanese payment card and photo ID — a residence card is accepted. This is why these plans are for residents, not visitors.
- An eSIM means no shop and no waiting for post: activation runs from twenty minutes to same day.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: 13
- Met every condition below: 10
- Kept: five, each the best at something different
Conditions (all of them, not most of them)
- The cheapest plan giving 10 GB or more costs ¥2,999 a month or less, before any discount
- Includes a voice line with a Japanese number (090/080/070)
- Can be taken as an eSIM
- Accepting new customers as of September 2026
Scoring
Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.
- Quality25 pts
- From Kakaku.com Magazine’s March 2026 field measurements around Shibuya and Sakudaira, using the noon average download speed, when networks are busiest. 100 Mbps or more is five stars, 50 four, 10 three, 3 two, below that one. Where an operator was not measured we judge from the same network type and say so.
- Value for money30 pts
- The cheapest plan giving 10 GB or more, monthly, including tax and before discounts. Under ¥1,500 is five stars, under ¥2,000 four, under ¥2,500 three, under ¥3,000 two.
- Easy to live with20 pts
- Starts at two stars, since all of them offer an eSIM. Add one each for calls included in the monthly price, for shops where someone can help you in person, and for a bill that falls automatically when you use less.
- Trust15 pts
- Placings in J.D. Power’s 2025 satisfaction study, MMD Labo’s August 2026 share and satisfaction survey, and MM Research’s operator share at March 2026. First is five stars, second or third four, otherwise three.
- Only here10 pts
- How far the thing only this operator does cannot be had elsewhere on the same terms. Our judgement, with the reason stated.
What we dropped
| Candidate | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Aeon Mobile | Runner-up (66/100) | 66 points, below the lowest of the five (69) |
| HIS Mobile | Runner-up (62/100) | 62 points, below the lowest of the five (69) |
| ahamo | Runner-up (61/100) | 61 points, below the lowest of the five (69) |
| mineo | Runner-up (59/100) | 59 points, below the lowest of the five (69) |
| NURO Mobile | Runner-up | Docomo, au and SoftBank networks at the same price, with a cheap 10 GB plan — but 1.68 Mbps at noon, which puts it behind Nihon Tsushin and IIJmio at a similar price. |
| UQ mobile | Outside the theme | Its Tokutoku Plan 2 costs ¥4,048 a month beyond 5 GB without discounts (¥2,728 with a home bundle), over our ¥2,999 limit. |
| Y!mobile | Outside the theme | Simple 3 M, the plan with 30 GB, is ¥4,015 without discounts, and Simple 3 S gives only 5 GB. |
| OCN Mobile ONE | Outside the theme | No longer accepting new customers. |
Questions visitors ask
Can I sign up as a foreign resident?
Yes, if you live here. You will generally need a Japanese address, a Japanese payment method and photo ID — a residence card is accepted, and most operators verify it by photograph during the online application. What you cannot do is take one of these as a tourist: they are contracts, not travel SIMs. For a short visit, buy a travel eSIM instead.
Which stays fast at lunchtime?
The carriers’ own online brands. Measured at noon in March 2026: LINEMO 134.40 Mbps, ahamo 80.33, povo 79.32. The independents were far slower under the same conditions — IIJmio 5.87, Aeon Mobile 6.01, mineo 1.38. If you work through lunch, that gap is the whole decision.
Does the bill fall in a month when I use less?
With LINEMO and Rakuten Mobile, yes — the price is set by usage, and a month under 3 GB costs less automatically. With povo there is no monthly charge at all; you simply buy nothing. IIJmio and mineo sell fixed bundles, but unused data rolls over.
What if I make a lot of calls?
Rakuten Mobile makes domestic calls free through its Rakuten Link app, with some numbers excepted. Nihon Tsushin includes either five-minute unlimited calling or 70 free minutes in the monthly price, and ahamo includes five-minute calls. Everywhere else, calling is a paid add-on.
How quickly can I start using it?
With an eSIM you never go to a shop. Nihon Tsushin states about twenty minutes from application, IIJmio same day, LINEMO immediately after the contract completes.
Why aren’t UQ mobile and Y!mobile here?
Both have plenty of shops and both are fast at midday — 110.50 and 123.03 Mbps at noon. But their plans with 10 GB or more cost over ¥4,000 a month without discounts, which fails our first condition. If you can bundle them with home fibre or a family plan, they belong back on your list.
Changes
- 2026-10-25 First published. Scored from 13 candidates.