TOKYO - Emojis have evolved into a shared shorthand for emotion and intent, shaping not only how people text, but how they relate to one another online. Now, as NTT Docomo prepares to retire its original emoji set after 26 years, it marks the end of a uniquely Japanese chapter in the global story of digital expression.
NTT Docomo will officially end support for its original emoji designs, bringing to a close a 26-year chapter that began with the launch of the i-mode internet service in 1999. Starting with devices released in late June, users of Android models will no longer see the Docomo-specific emoji, with Samsung devices following suit from July. By October, software updates will phase them out entirely from existing compatible models.
Originally introduced to address character limits on early mobile phones, emojis allowed users to express emotions visually in a single character—revolutionizing mobile communication in Japan. Their popularity quickly spread, and they became a global phenomenon. Alongside image-based emoji, Japan also developed kaomoji, upright text faces built from punctuation and Unicode characters. These expressions remain popular in messaging because they can convey nuanced emotions while staying readable as plain text. In 2016, the Museum of Modern Art in New York even featured them as a new form of digital communication.
At the time of their release, Docomo’s emojis were so influential that users reportedly switched carriers just to access them. A lack of cross-platform compatibility meant messages with emojis sometimes appeared garbled on non-Docomo phones, pushing users to join the same network to communicate effectively. As emoji became a key driver in user migration, Docomo’s market share surged in the early 2000s.
However, usage has declined in recent years, particularly with the rise of LINE and other messaging apps. According to Docomo, many users now rely on Google’s standardized emoji sets, such as the familiar yellow-faced icons. Feedback from customers also pointed to frustration when emojis from Google were converted into the outdated Docomo style. The company concluded that its original emojis had fulfilled their role.
A 2024 survey by Tokyo Koka University showed that just 13.2% of incoming college students still use carrier-based email, a sharp drop from 71.4% in 2014. Most communication now occurs on apps like LINE, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), particularly among younger generations.
Yet emoji use among youth remains high. A survey showed that over 90% of people in their teens and twenties use emojis daily, with many using them more than seven times a day. Interestingly, usage patterns differ by context—young people tend to use emojis with superiors to appear polite, while avoiding them in casual conversations with friends. In some companies, new employee training even includes guidance on emoji usage to avoid appearing cold or curt in professional communications.
When seniors omit emojis in messages, younger recipients often interpret it as distant, unfriendly, or even angry. To address this, some companies have incorporated emoji etiquette into onboarding sessions to foster smoother intergenerational communication.
A new real-time texting app called Giffsy is also gaining traction among youth. It functions like a phone call, but with live text chat, allowing users to share moments in real time without speaking aloud. The appeal lies in sharing time and space together, even silently—a trend that highlights changing expectations for digital intimacy.
As Docomo closes the curtain on its era-defining emoji, Japan’s youth continue to reshape digital expression, proving that even tiny symbols can leave a massive cultural footprint.
Source: ABCTVnews
