Japan Delays 060 Mobile Numbers as Carriers Need More Time

Jul 08, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japan's planned rollout of mobile phone numbers beginning with 060 has been postponed after telecom carriers said they need more time to complete system preparations.

Telecommunications companies announced Wednesday that they would delay the launch of mobile phone numbers starting with 060, which had been scheduled for this month. The companies said additional time is required to update their systems.

Mobile phone numbers in Japan currently begin with 090, 080 or 070, with a total of about 270 million numbers in use or allocated.

However, as of July 1, only about 4.6 million newly assignable numbers beginning with 070 remained, creating pressure on the available supply. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said it is urging carriers to begin offering the new numbers in stages by the end of the current fiscal year. The telecom companies said they will announce a new launch schedule once preparations are complete.

Source: TBS

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