SMS compliance in Japan

The rules that apply to business SMS sent to numbers in Japan, with the source for each.

Quiet hours

No statutory quiet hours identified; send promotional SMS 08:00-20:00 local time (industry best practice). Transactional/OTP 24/7.

Source: Industry practice – no official text found

Consent

Opt-in consent required for advertising messages (Specified E-mail Act covers SMS); keep consent records.

Source: APPI; Act on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail

Opt-out

Promotional SMS must offer a free, simple opt-out (e.g., reply STOP); honour requests promptly and suppress opted-out numbers.

Source: Operator/aggregator policy (best practice)

Prohibited content

Blocked: phishing/fraud, illegal or unlicensed gambling, adult content, hate/political content (most operators), counterfeit/illegal goods, unlicensed financial offers; URL shorteners often blocked.

Source: Operator content policies / national advertising law

Data protection law

APPI; Act on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail. Supervisory authority: PPC / MIC.

Source: APPI; Act on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail

Sender ID rule

Alphanumeric supported; no pre-registration on international routes (URL messages excepted).

Source: Operator/regulator registration rules

Other

Messages containing URLs require SID/URL pre-registration.

Source: Regulator/operator rules

This summary is guidance, not legal advice. Last verified 23 October 2026.