Japan’s telephone services began in the late 19th century, with the first manual telephone exchange established in 1890.
**Early Beginnings (Late 19th Century to Early 20th Century):**
Initially, phone numbers were simple and short, typically comprising just a few digits. These numbers were adequate for the limited scale of communication at the time, mostly confined to urban centers.
**Post-War Expansion (1945-1980s):**
Following World War II, Japan experienced rapid 2024 South Africa Telegram Users Library economic growth, known as the “Japanese economic miracle.” This period saw significant expansion in telephone services,
with phone numbers becoming
Longer to accommodate the growing number of subscribers. The introduction of area codes (市外局番, “shigai kyokuban”) became necessary as the telephone Contact Form 7 Database Solutions for WordPress network expanded across the country, allowing for easier differentiation between regions.
**The Mobile Revolution (1990s):**
The 1990s marked the advent of mobile phones in Japan, which necessitated a new system for numbering. Mobile phone numbers were assigned distinct prefixes, such as “090,” to differentiate them from landline numbers.
The telephone network
This period also saw the introduction of 11-digit phone numbers, as the existing system could no longer accommodate the rapidly increasing number of users.
Late 19th Century to Early 20th Century
while also being shaped by cultural and societal norms. This article delves into the intricacies of Japanese phone numbers,
