SMS In Japan: Navigating Regulations and Mastering Best Practices

Japan is a country in which the number of mobile connections dominates the total population.

NTT Docomo controls the majority of the mobile communications market. KDDI holds the second share, and Softbank holds the third. UQ Communications, Y! Mobile, IIJ, Rakuten Inc., and others are among the others.

As per various reports from different studies, SMS is the second-most preferred channel for business communications. However, it has high potential in the business communication process to reach more people personally and effectively.

Country code - ;JP

Calling code - ;+81

Mobile number portability (MNP) - ; No

Mobile Country Codes(MCC) - ; 440,441

The regulatory agency for the telecommunications industry is the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The major carriers in Japan's telecommunications business are Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) (including NTT EAST, NTT WEST, and NTT DoCoMo), KDDI Corporation, and Softbank Corp.

• A dynamic alphanumeric sender ID is allowed on all Japanese networks.

• International and national SMS are charged at the same rates

• The charge for the service is per the submitted SMS. Visit Pricing for details.

• The prices presented do not include the relevant VAT amount.

• You should only communicate during the end user's daytime hours unless it is urgent.

• You should support HELP and STOP messages in the end user's local language.

• You should not contact end users on do-not-call or do-not-disturb registries.

• You should not send URLs in your messages.

• The maximum length for Unicode messages is 670 full-width characters for the Docomo, KDDI, and Softbank networks and 660 full-width characters for the Rakuten network.

• Before sending any marketing traffic, you need opt-in consent from handset users.

• Messages that contain a weblink are classified as illegal and are either discarded or removed.

• Generic sender IDs such as INFO, SMS, Notice, etc. are prohibited.

• P2P traffic is prohibited.

• No political, religious, unsolicited promotional, or gambling content

• Obtain permission

• Don't send to old lists

• Audit your customer lists

• Keep records

• Respond appropriately

• Adjust your sending based on engagement

Contact sales for more details and to start connecting with ease.