Japan reaches near-universal 5G coverage, but local gaps remain

Japan’s four national mobile operators have pushed 5G coverage to nearly the entire country, but performance and availability still vary by region and by provider.

Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence data for Q3 2025 shows SoftBank leading on median download speeds, reflecting its focus on high-capacity 5G deployments. Rivals NTT Docomo, KDDI (au), and Rakuten Mobile follow different playbooks that trade speed against broader or more consistent coverage. While major cities see strong 5G service from multiple operators, smaller towns and rural areas still experience uneven access, exposing the gap between headline national coverage figures and day-to-day user experience.