Telephone numbers in Japan

Last updated

Telephone numbers in Japan
Country Japan
Continent Asia
Numbering plan typeClosed
FormatX-XXXX-XXXX
XX-XXX-XXXX
XXX-XX-XXXX
Country code 81
International access 010
Long-distance 0

Telephone numbers in Japan consist of an area code, an exchange number, and a subscriber number.

Contents

Dialing prefixes

Types of numbers

1xx    Special numbers  001 and 00xx   Carrier selection codes  0x     2-digit geographic area codes  0xx    3-digit geographic area codes  0xxx   4-digit geographic area codes  0xxxx  5-digit geographic area codes  0x0    3-digit non-Geographic area codes (excluding 010)  0xx0   4-digit non-Geographic area codes (01x0, 0570, 0800, 0910, 0990)

Length of numbers

Three-digit numbers (special numbers)

Emergency services

110  Police (112 and 911 redirect to 110 on mobile phones)  118  Maritime emergencies  119  Ambulance, Fire brigade  171  Earthquake assistance

Operator services

100  NTT operator  106  Operator assisted collect call service  108  Automated collect call service  113  NTT technical faults hotline  116  NTT customer service and general enquiries

Directory services

104  NTT national directory enquiries  0057 KDDI international directory enquiries

Special services

114  Automated number-busy check  115  Telegram service  117  Speaking clock  136  Information on last incoming call  177  Weather forecast

Long-distance carrier selection (Myline)

001   KDDI (international)  0032  IPS Inc.  0033  NTT Communications  0034  NTT Communications (international toll free)  0036  NTT East  0037  Fusion Communications  0039  NTT West  0041  SoftBank Telecom (international / former Japan Telecom)  0053  KDDI (Resold)  0056  KDDI (international)  0061  SoftBank Telecom (international / former Cable and Wireless IDC)  0066  SoftBank Telecom (international / former Cable and Wireless IDC)  0070  KDDI Toll Free  0071  Verizon Japan  0077  KDDI (national)  0080  T-Systems  0081  Fusion Communications (former TTNet)  0088  SoftBank Telecom (national / former Japan Telecom)  0089  T-Systems  0091  Brastel

Ten-digit numbers

Non-geographic area codes

0120 NTT Freedial, toll free services  0130 Automated information services  0140 Disaster relief wireless communications  0160 Disaster relief satellite communications  0170 NTT Dengon Dial, chat line services  0180 NTT Telegong, TV/Radio show feedback dial-in  0180 NTT Teledome, automated information services  0190 NTT Angel Line, automated directory services via PC/modem  0190 NTT Annai Jozu, automated directory services via telephone  0570 Navi Dial  [ ja ]0800 Other toll free services  020  Paging services (PDC) and data services (UMTS)  030  Mobile telephony services (legacy systems, PDC, J-CDMA, UMTS) - currently not used  040  Mobile telephony services (legacy systems, PDC, J-CDMA, UMTS) - currently not used  050  IP telephony service (via internet service providers)  060  Universal personal number services  070  Mobile telephony and data services (PDC, J-CDMA, UMTS)  080  Mobile telephony and data services (PDC, J-CDMA, UMTS)  090  Mobile telephony and data services (PDC, J-CDMA, UMTS)  0910 Private circuit access, local rate services  0990 NTT DialQ2, premium rate services

Decommissioned area codes

0150 formerly used for maritime wireless communications  0450 formerly used for maritime wireless communications  0750 formerly used for maritime wireless communications

Area codes (市外局番 "shigai-kyokuban") of selected major cities

11 Sapporo 138 Hakodate 166 Asahikawa 17-7 or 172 Aomori 18-8 Akita 19-6 Morioka 22 Sendai 23-6 Yamagata 24-5 Fukushima 24-6 Iwaki 24-9 Kōriyama 25 Niigata 26 Nagano 27-2 Maebashi 27-3 Takasaki 28-6 Utsunomiya 3 Tokyo (23 Special wards), Komae 4-29 Tokorozawa 4-70 Kamogawa 4-71 Kashiwa 42-6 Hachiōji 42-7 Machida, Sagamihara 43  Chiba 44 Kawasaki 45 Yokohama 466 Fujisawa 46-8 Yokosuka 47-3 Ichikawa, Matsudo 47-4 (473 for west part of the city) Funabashi 48-2 Kawaguchi 48-6 or 48-7 or 48-8 Saitama 48-9 Soka, Koshigaya 49 Kawagoe 52 Nagoya 53 Hamamatsu 53-2 Toyohashi 54 Shizuoka 55 Kofu 564 Okazaki 565 Toyota 568 Kasugai 569 Handa 58 Gifu 586 Ichinomiya 592 Tsu, Yokkaichi 6 Osaka, Higashiōsaka, Suita, Toyonaka, Amagasaki 72-2 Sakai 726 Takatsuki 72-8 Hirakata 73 Wakayama 742 or 743 Nara 75 Kyoto 76-2 Kanazawa 76-4 Toyama 768 Suzu 77-5 Ōtsu 776 Fukui 78 Kobe 790 Kasai 792 or 793 Himeji 794 Kakogawa 797 or 798 Nishinomiya, Takarazuka 82 Hiroshima 832 or 834 Shimonoseki 839 Yamaguchi 84 Fukuyama 852 Matsue 857 Tottori 862 or 869 Okayama 864 or 865 Kurashiki 87 Takamatsu 88-6 Tokushima 88-8 Kochi 89 Matsuyama 92 Fukuoka 93 Kitakyushu 942 Kurume 95-8 Nagasaki 952 Saga 956 Sasebo 96 Kumamoto 97 Ōita 98-8 or 98-9 Naha 981 or 98-5 Miyazaki 99 Kagoshima 

Geographic numbers are nine digits long, including the area code, but not including the leading zero. Consequently, densely populated areas have shorter area codes, while less populated areas have longer area codes. For example:

  • 6 xxxx xxxx (Osaka)
  • 75 xxx xxxx (Kyoto)
  • 742 xx xxxx (Nara)
  • 4992 x xxxx (Niijima island, Tokyo pref.)
  • 82486 xxxx (Takano, Hiroshima pref.)

Area codes increase from north to south; Sapporo in Hokkaidō (the northernmost prefecture) has 11, and Setouchi's 99-73 is far to the south in Kagoshima. When the telephone system was devised, Okinawa was still under U.S. occupation, so when it was returned to Japan in 1972, its telephone numbers were squeezed between Miyazaki (98x) and Kagoshima (99x) and begin with 988, 989, and 980.

During the 1990s, when plans were being drawn up to amalgamate mid-sized cities and towns into larger municipalities, telephone numbering systems were merged in advance. For example,

  • 7442 x xxxx Kashihara (Nara prefecture)
  • 7444 x xxxx Sakurai
  • 74452 xxxx Takatori
  • 74454 xxxx Asuka etc.

became:

  • 744 2x xxxx Kashihara
  • 744 4x xxxx Sakurai
  • 744 52 xxxx Takatori
  • 744 54 xxxx Asuka etc.

Many of these towns have in fact refused to merge, leaving callers with more digits to dial when making local calls. This is partially balanced by not having to dial an area code for the neighboring city.

Area code as local brand naming

Flea Market event named "028 Market" held on the Union St. in Utsunomiya. This event is held about semi-annually. 028Market.jpg
Flea Market event named "028 Market" held on the Union St. in Utsunomiya. This event is held about semi-annually.

Starting in the 2010s, some local products and events are using names associated with the local area code.[ citation needed ]

0465net (Odawara, Kanagawa)
0428 T-shirt (Ome, Tokyo)
028 Market (Utsunomiya, Tochigi)
028 Machinaka (Inner-City) Wi-Fi (Utsunomiya, Tochigi)
Bar 053 (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka)

See also

References