Japan will introduce a new mobile-phone number prefix, “060,” starting in July 2026 to address a growing shortage of available telephone numbers [1], [3].
The expansion is necessary because the proliferation of connected devices has exhausted the existing supply of mobile prefixes. As consumers increasingly own multiple smartphones, tablets, and routers, the demand for unique identifiers has outpaced the capacity of the current system [1], [3].
Until now, Japanese mobile carriers have relied on the 090, 080, and 070 prefixes [2]. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, alongside major carriers including NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank, Rakuten Mobile, and Okinawa Cellular Phone, coordinated the addition of the 060 prefix to stabilize the infrastructure [1], [2].
This move will add 90 million new numbers to the national pool [1]. Once fully implemented, the total number of available mobile identifiers in Japan will reach 360 million [1].
IT journalist Atsushi Ishikawa said the shortage stems from the fact that people no longer hold just one number, but often two or three across various devices [1].
While some reports indicate the rollout begins in July 2026 [1], [3], other sources suggest full availability may not be realized until December 2026 [2], [3].
The introduction of the prefix follows long-term discussions regarding unused codes. Sanae Takaichi, a former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, said in 2015 that prefixes such as 030, 040, and 060 remained unused and could be leveraged to stimulate economic activity and improve national life [1].
“The move will add 90 million new numbers to the national pool.”
The shift to the 060 prefix reflects a fundamental change in consumer behavior where the 'one person, one number' model has been replaced by a multi-device ecosystem. By increasing the numbering capacity to 360 million, Japan is ensuring that the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile connectivity is not throttled by administrative numbering limits.
