Japan is running out of mobile phone numbers and will soon roll out a new area code for the first time in more than a decade.
Numbers starting with 060 could be available as early as December, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Communications.
Mobile phone numbers in Japan currently have the prefixes 090, 080 and 070. Only 5.3 million 070 numbers remain, while all usable 090 and 080 numbers have been allocated.
According to the Telecommunications Carriers Association, Japan had 212 million mobile phone subscriptions in March 2024, up from 140 million a decade earlier.
As of 1999, mobile phone numbers in Japan were 11-digit numbers starting with 090. With the popularity of flip phones, numbers with that prefix were quickly exhausted and in March 2002, 080 numbers were introduced.
Smartphones ensured continued rapid adoption and 070 numbers were made available in November 2013.
Japan has had more than one mobile subscription per person since 2011, according to World Bank data.
With the introduction of the new prefixes, no fewer than 90 million new numbers will be possible.
Early indications are that 060 will be accepted by consumers and will not encounter significant resistance. According to online reports, higher prefixes are often associated with older people and can be considered less cool.
While a 090 number can give a sense of establishment, younger Japanese smartphone users are normally receptive or indifferent to the newer, lower-end prefixes, according to online comments.
In preparation for the distribution of 060 numbers, the ministry set up a council on Wednesday and will process public responses until early November.
The ministry will make a final decision based on advice from the council and the public. The 060 numbers could be available as early as mid-December.
