+81 Country Code: Japan Dialing Guide

Japan's country code is +81. To call Japan from the US, dial 011-81, then the area code (without the leading 0), then the local number. A Tokyo call looks like this: 011-81-3-1234-5678.

That's the quick version. Below you'll find area codes for major Japanese cities, mobile prefixes, time zone info, and how to call the US from Japan if you're there now.

How to Dial Japan from the US

Dial 011 (the US exit code), then 81 (Japan's country code), then the area code minus the leading zero, then the local number.

Step by step:

Dial 011 (or just + on a cell phone)
Dial 81 (Japan country code)
Dial the area code without the 0 (Tokyo 03 becomes 3)
Dial the local number

Examples:

Tokyo landline 03-1234-5678 → Dial 011-81-3-1234-5678
Japanese mobile 080-1234-5678 → Dial 011-81-80-1234-5678

The leading 0 in Japanese numbers is a domestic trunk prefix. Drop it when calling from abroad.

Japan Area Codes

Tokyo's area code is 03 (dial as 3 internationally). Osaka is 06. Kyoto is 075. Larger cities have shorter codes.

City	Area Code	Dial from US
Tokyo	03	011-81-3
Osaka	06	011-81-6
Kyoto	075	011-81-75
Nagoya	052	011-81-52
Yokohama	045	011-81-45
Sapporo	011	011-81-11
Fukuoka	092	011-81-92
Kobe	078	011-81-78

Don't confuse Sapporo's area code (011) with the US exit code (also 011). Context matters.

Japan Mobile Number Prefixes

Japanese mobile numbers start with 070, 080, or 090. All are 11 digits total.

Prefix	Format	Dial from US
090	090-XXXX-XXXX	011-81-90-XXXX-XXXX
080	080-XXXX-XXXX	011-81-80-XXXX-XXXX
070	070-XXXX-XXXX	011-81-70-XXXX-XXXX

090 was the original mobile prefix from 1999. Some consider it prestigious. 080 came in 2002, and 070 in 2013. All three work the same way internationally— just drop the leading 0.

Japan Time Zone

Japan is 13-17 hours ahead of the US, depending on your time zone and daylight saving.

US Time Zone	Japan Is Ahead By
Eastern (winter)	14 hours
Eastern (summer)	13 hours
Pacific (winter)	17 hours
Pacific (summer)	16 hours

Japan doesn't observe daylight saving. It's UTC+9 year-round. So the difference changes when the US springs forward or falls back, not Japan.

Practical tip: If you're calling a Japanese business during their work hours (9 AM - 6 PM JST), that's roughly 7 PM - 4 AM Eastern the previous night. Late evening US calls reach Japan in the morning.

Calling the US from Japan

To call the US from Japan, dial 010-1, then the US number. Or skip the carrier rates entirely.

Format: 010-1-(area code)-(number)

Example: To call (212) 555-1234, dial 010-1-212-555-1234

Japanese carriers charge anywhere from $0.05 to $1.50 per minute for calls to the US. If you're an American in Japan and need to call a US bank, the IRS, or any landline back home, that adds up.

World Dialer works from Japan. Open it in your browser, enter the US number, and pay $0.04/minute. No app to download. No subscription required. No Japanese carrier fees.

Call US Numbers from Japan

You have the numbers. Here's the easiest way to dial them.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I drop the 0 in Japanese phone numbers from abroad?

Because the leading 0 in Japanese numbers is a domestic trunk prefix, not part of the actual subscriber number. Japan uses it the same way the UK uses its leading 0 - to tell the domestic switch you're making a long-distance or mobile call within the country. When you dial internationally, the +81 country code replaces that trunk-routing function, so the 0 becomes redundant and gets dropped. A Tokyo number written as 03-1234-5678 within Japan becomes +81-3-1234-5678 from abroad. Same logic for mobile: 090-1234-5678 within Japan becomes +81-90-1234-5678. This pattern applies to almost every country that uses a leading 0 trunk prefix.

Is +81 the only country that uses code 81?

Yes. Country code 81 belongs exclusively to Japan. The ITU-T E.164 numbering plan assigns single-digit country code 1 to the North American Numbering Plan, code 7 to Russia and Kazakhstan, and uses two-digit codes for most other countries. Japan got 81 in the original 1968 allocation. So when you see a number starting +81, it's always going to Japan - Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, or anywhere else in the country. Don't confuse it with +880 (Bangladesh), +84 (Vietnam), or +82 (South Korea), which look similar at a glance.

Will my US iPhone receive iMessage from Japanese numbers as SMS?

Yes, but only if the Japanese sender is also on iPhone and has an Apple ID; otherwise it falls back to regular SMS at international rates. iMessage routes between Apple devices over data using Apple's servers, so the country doesn't matter for delivery or cost. If the Japanese sender uses Android (which dominates the Japanese market more than the US market), messages route as SMS through carrier networks and your US carrier bills international SMS rates ($0.20-0.50 per message typically). LINE, which dominates Japanese messaging, also works internationally if both parties have the app and is free over data.

How do I time a call to a Tokyo business from California?

Call between 4 PM and 1 AM Pacific time to hit 9 AM to 6 PM Tokyo business hours. Japan is 17 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time and 16 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time, with no daylight saving in Japan. The gap shifts by an hour when the US changes clocks. The most practical window is 4-7 PM your time (Pacific), which lands at 9 AM to noon Tokyo - first thing in their workday. Mid-afternoon Tokyo (noon to 3 PM JST) is your previous night, 7-10 PM Pacific. Avoid Tokyo Friday after 6 PM JST (Friday 1 AM Pacific) since the Japanese workweek wraps.