Mobile in Japan

Paul Papadimitriou

iPhone pricing in Japan

Here's a recap' of the current iPhone pricing plan in Japan, as sold by Softbank (special offers by Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera or others are not taken into account, for simplicity's sake).

All prices include taxes. The iPhone has to be bought with a 24 months contract. Prices in red are the minimum requirements.

Contract fee:

JPY 2,835 for a new Softbank contract, or JPY 1,995 for a Softbank contract upgrade. This is a one-shot fee.

Calling plan:

The White Plan costs JPY 980 per month.
  • doesn't include minutes
  • 1AM to 9PM: free calls to other Softbank users, JPY 21 per 30 seconds for other carriers (excluding international calls and special numbers)
  • 9PM to 1AM: JPY 21 per 30 seconds (excluding international calls and special numbers)
  • SMS, free to other Softbank users. S!Mail (@i.softbank.jp) free to other Softbank users (for others, data charges apply, see below)
The Double White Plan costs JPY 1,960 per month
  • doesn't include minutes
  • 1AM to 9PM: free calls to other Softbank users, JPY 10.5 per 30 seconds for other carriers (excluding international calls and special numbers)
  • 9PM to 1AM: JPY 10.5 per 30 seconds (excluding international calls and special numbers)
  • SMS, free to other Softbank users. S!Mail (i.softbank.jp) free to other Softbank users (for others, data charges apply, see below)
If you have a family member that also has a Softbank contract, remember to ask for the 24/7 free call option (White Plan Family Discount 24).

Data plan:
As an iPhone user, you are required to take the Packet Flat Rate Full.
This unlimited data plan includes your browsing, email fetching and push services. The MMS (called "email" in Japan) is not possible on the iPhone (Softbank supplies a @i.softbank.jp address, but it's not the real keitai MMS, since smileys and other options aren't possible). All usual Yahoo! Keitai services cannot be accessed with the iPhone.
As announced on my blog, as of August 27, the Packet Flat Rate Full price was revised (for the second time since July 11): up to 12,250 packets, the plan flatly costs JPY 1,029. It then increments by JPY 0.084 by packet until it reaches JPY 5,985. As of this price, or 71,250 packets, there's no more price increments.
JPY 5,985 is hence the maximum cost for the plan.
Note that 71,250 packets represent a little less than 10MB of data transfers. The incremental pricing plan is thus particulary useful if Wifi is the preferred method of data usage.
Data roaming is not covered here, as the price depends on each country visited.

Required services:
The S! Basic Pack is required upon the iPhone purchase. It costs JPY 315 per month.
You received the @i.softbank.jp email address with a limit of 200MB or 5,000 emails. Storage is given for an unlimited time.

Optional services:
The Basic Option Package offers the possibility to use the iPhone specific Visual Voice Mail function (without it, you can only use the normal voicemail by dialing 1416). You can save up to 90 3-minutes voicemails.
It also brings you Call Waiting and Group Calling (up to six calls conference). It costs JPY 498.75 per month.
Note these exist separately: Visual Voice Mail is JPY 315 per month. The Call Waiting costs JPY 210 per month. The Group Calling costs JPY 210 per month.
Softbank can deliver a itemized charge report for JPY 105 per month.
Finally, the Apple Care Protection Plan at JPY 7,800

Handset price & discounts:
This is the tricky part that many (especially foreigners) don't understand. Since September 2007, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications banned the practice of selling heavily-subzidized handsets while keeping the communincation costs high (it has led to a market shrinkage, by the way).
Softbank thus created the various discounts to offer new incentives to its customers.
  • How much costs the 16GB iPhone 3G handset ? JPY 3,360 per month, minus the offered discount of JPY 1,920 per month. So, the iPhone costs JPY 3,360 - JPY 1,920 = JPY 1,440 per month, or JPY 34,560 after the 24 month.
  • For the 8GB iPhone 3G, the cost is JPY 2,880 per month minus a JPY 1,920 discount per month. The handset then costs JPY 960 per month or JPY 23,040 after the 24 months.
The Japan iPhone price is then in line with what Steve Jobs announced for the US. Only that you pay it over a period of 24 month.
For heavy calling users, a look at the New Super Bonus Special Discount might be worth a look.
Foreigners might be asked to pay the full price upfront (lack of credit card or credit card validity not covering the 24 months contract is often the reason). For the 16GB iPhone 3G, the price is JPY 80,640.
The JPY 1,920 discount per month still applies however. So, after the 24 month, the final price will be the same amount (JPY 34,560 or JPY 23,040).
In this case, getting the iPhone in a Yodobashi Camera or Bic Camera store might be a better idea, since points can be accrued on a Point Card.

Cancellation:
The discount is lost if a contract is ended before the 24 months period and the remaining price of the iPhone will be asked for.

I've tried to keep things as simple as possible in here (especially on the discount policies that can lead to endless discussions). Feel free to comment.

Tags: iphone, softbank

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9 Comments

JasonF Comment by JasonF on November 22, 2008 at 11:54am
Could also get a unlocked iPhone from HK for around the same price and use a Softbank SIM...I think..
Serkan Comment by Serkan on December 9, 2008 at 2:09pm
Awesome article, Paul. Very helpful.

I do have some questions:
1) An "@softbank.ne.jp" address is impossible to get with the iPhone?

2) For 5,985 Yen, I can surf as much as I want per month?

3) Pricing for the 16GB model:
1,440 Yen a month for the hardware
+
5,985 Yen a month for the unlimited data plan
+
1,960 Yen a month for the double White Plan
+
498.75 Yen for the basic option package
=
8443.75 Yen a month

Is this correct?

4)
How can you break down the 80,640 Yen mentioned above (full price upfront for the 16GB model)?

5)
If they DON'T want the full price upfront, is there any advantage of getting this in BicCamera instead of a SoftBank store?

Thank you!
Paul Papadimitriou Comment by Paul Papadimitriou on December 9, 2008 at 2:46pm
Hey Serkan,

1) no, Softbank only offers i.softbank.jp for the iPhone at the moment. With the addition of emojis since firmware 2.2, it's been more of a normal address, but people have told me that au (KDDI) and domoco phones cannot always read iPhone emojis correctly. Never had a problem with people on Softbank.

2) That's the ceiling. Meaning you can surf as you want and never pay more. Softbank offers free access to Wifi, check the discussion forums for more information

3) Basically yes. Be sure that you actually need the double white plan. You can switch from the normal white plan to the double later if needed.

4) It's 80,640 divided by 24 months. 3,360 per month. The discount is applied monthly and not in advance. Insist to pay with your credit card (even a foreign one) and you might well escape this. I know the Softbank store at Omotesando/Harajuku does this (staff speak in english).

5) Well, you can get some points, but not that much. At the end of the day, whenever you have an issue, Softbank is responsible along with Apple, so I don't know what would happen if you had an issue after buying the phone at Bic or Yodobashi. Maybe someone has had this kind of issue here. Just ask on the iPhone forums!

Cheers

Paul.
Serkan Comment by Serkan on December 9, 2008 at 4:27pm
Great help, Paul, thank you very much!
Ilfracombe Comment by Ilfracombe on January 6, 2009 at 10:49am
On my previous softbank contracts, there has been the option of insurance. Just a few hundred extra yen a month means that I don't have to repay the cost of the phone if I use it. In fact, I got a replacement free of charge. Is that not possible with the iphone?
jsn Comment by jsn on February 8, 2009 at 1:52pm
Hi there,
This looks helpful,...(iPhone3G 16GB, white plan user)
however, I just checked my billing info online, (basic Japanese only) and it looks scary!
Should I be worried?
Does using YouTube in a wifi area cost¥¥¥?
Thanx!
Andrew DC Comment by Andrew DC on March 25, 2009 at 5:03pm
Hi,
Im confused between the Packet Flat Rate that you just mentioned and the Unlimited Packet Discount (http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/price_plan/upd/) I was required to get the latter with my Iphone 3g. What is the difference?
Patricia Yarrow Comment by Patricia Yarrow on July 28, 2009 at 1:02pm
Bought my iPhone yesterday at softbank Omotesando. Took 2.5 hours and I had to lay down the cash up front because my alien card is not valid for all of 27 or so months from now. BIG NASTY SURPRISE.

Does anyone know of an ENGLISH HELPLINE? I called 157 8* and only got a Jpns speaker, who promised me that an English speaker would call me back. I'm waiting....

Also, what is "MobileMe" and do I need it?
Paul Papadimitriou Comment by Paul Papadimitriou on July 28, 2009 at 1:28pm
Hi there. MobileMe is a service that syncs your calendars, contacts and emails in the cloud (on a server hosted by Apple). You can sync this back with a Mac.

As for the customer service in English it's 157 then 8 from your iPhone or 0088-21-2000 then 8. I didn't check those numbers. You can ask the question on the iPhone forums, lots of helpful people!

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