Japan considers new 060 mobile number prefix as 070 runs low

Japan is running out of mobile phone numbers and may soon roll out a new prefix 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 Internal Affairs and Communications.

Mobile phone numbers in Japan currently have 090, 080 and 070 prefixes. Only 5.3 million 070 numbers remain, while all usable 090 and 080 numbers have been assigned.

According to the Telecommunications Carriers Association, Japan had 212 million mobile phone subscriptions as of March 2024, up from 140 million a decade earlier.

Beginning in 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 080 numbers were introduced in March 2002.

Smartphones helped drive continued rapid uptake, and 070 numbers were made available in November 2013.

According to World Bank data, Japan has had more than one cellular subscription per person since 2011.

With the introduction of the new prefixes, as many as 90 million new numbers will be possible.

Early indications are that 060 will be accepted by consumers and will not face significant resistance. According to online posts, higher prefixes tend to be associated with older people and might be considered less cool.

While a 090 number can give a sense of being established, younger Japanese smartphone users are normally amenable or indifferent to the newer, lower prefixes, online comments suggest.

To prepare for the distribution of 060 numbers, the ministry set up a council on Wednesday and will take public comments until the beginning of November.

A final decision will be made by the ministry based on opinions from the council and the public, and 060 numbers could be available as early as mid-December.