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Tokyo is 3 h 30 min ahead of India

WhatsApp for Japan's international customers, in a market that runs on LINE

Nine in ten people in Japan use LINE. WhatsApp is the line to everyone else: the overseas buyer, the visitor booking a ryokan, the expatriate customer who already writes to you on it.

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Tokyo

Time zone
JST, UTC+9, no daylight saving[1]
LINE use
92.9% of people aged 13–79 (MIC, FY2025)[2]
Visitor arrivals
42.68 million in 2025, a record[4]
Data law
APPI; 2026 amendment promulgated, not yet in force[14]
Meta market
Rest of Asia Pacific
Billing
₹ INR from India; yen shown for reference

For Indian businesses serving Japan, and Japanese firms weighing InfiQ: LINE is Japan's everyday messenger, so WhatsApp earns its place with overseas buyers, foreign visitors and expatriate customers. This page shows who each app reaches, what the APPI and the e-mail law mean, and what messages cost.

See it work

LINE and WhatsApp: who each one reaches in Japan

Every Japan plan starts with this question. LINE's reach is measured; WhatsApp's is not, so the right-hand column describes audiences, not shares.

There is no shortcut to WhatsApp reach in Japan. MIC's survey summary lists LINE, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, and WhatsApp is not among them. A plan that assumes Japanese consumers will opt in on WhatsApp at scale is built on a guess.

The case for WhatsApp in Japan is narrower and firmer: it reaches the international customers who already use it. That is the audience the rest of this page is about.

Two messengers, two audiences

8 / 8

LINE

Japan's everyday messenger

WhatsApp

For customers who write from abroad

  1. LINE92.9% of people aged 13–79 in MIC's FY2025 survey
    WhatsAppNot listed in MIC's survey summary; no verified figure
  2. LINEOver 90% in every age group from teens to 60s; 77.8% in their 70s
    WhatsAppNo age breakdown verified
  3. LINE100 million in Japan, about 80% of the population (LY Corporation's own figure, end of March 2026)
    WhatsAppNo Japan figure found from Meta or a measurement firm
  4. LINEJapanese-speaking consumers at home
    WhatsAppOverseas buyers, foreign visitors and expatriate customers who already use it
  5. LINEJapanese
    WhatsAppOften English, with Japanese where the customer prefers it
  6. LINENot expressly addressed by the Specified Electronic Mail Act
    WhatsAppNot expressly addressed either; collect opt-in regardless
  7. LINENot offered
    WhatsAppOfficial WhatsApp Business Platform, billed in rupees

Verdict

Keep LINE for Japanese consumers at home. Add WhatsApp where the customer is international: the overseas importer, the visitor before arrival, the expatriate who writes to you on it.

LINE figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' FY2025 survey and LY Corporation's own count. No verified WhatsApp usage figure for Japan was found, so none is shown.

Verdict: Keep LINE for Japanese consumers at home. Add WhatsApp where the customer is international: the overseas importer, the visitor before arrival, the expatriate who writes to you on it.

Where WhatsApp reach in Japan comes from

Not from Japanese consumers at large, but from trade, travel and visitors. Figures from MIC, JNTO, the Ministry of Finance, the Statistics Bureau and the World Bank.

MIC's FY2025 survey of 1,800 people aged 13 to 79 found 92.9% use LINE; its summary lists LINE, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, but not WhatsApp.[2]

LY Corporation reports 100 million monthly LINE users in Japan at the end of March 2026, about 80% of the population; the figure is the company's own.[3]

Japan recorded 42,683,301 visitor arrivals in 2025, up 15.8% and the highest annual total in JNTO's series, which starts in 1964.[4]

Exports were ¥110.4 trillion in 2025, a fifth consecutive annual rise; the United States (20.2%) and China (17.6%) were the largest export markets in 2023.[5],[6]

Japan's GDP was about US$4.19 trillion in 2024, and its population 123.80 million.[7],[8]

The three major metropolitan areas centred on Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya held 52.6% of Japan's population in 2020.[9]

Who messages what

Five sectors where the customer is often abroad

Japan's visitor and export industries are where a WhatsApp conversation already has a reason to exist. Indian suppliers, agencies and service firms that work with them face the same cross-border coordination.

SectorWhat it sends on WhatsApp
Inbound tourismVisitor arrivals reached 42,683,301 in 2025, up 15.8% on 2024's 36.87 million and well above 2019's 31.88 million.[4]
  • Booking confirmations
  • Check-in instructions in English
  • Concierge chat before arrival
AutomotiveAutomotive shipments reached ¥72.9 trillion in 2024, 19.1% of all manufacturing shipments; motor vehicle exports were ¥21.9 trillion in 2025.[10]
  • Order status for overseas dealers
  • Shipping updates
  • After-sales and parts enquiries
Semiconductors and electronic componentsThe Ministry of Finance says higher exports of semiconductors and other electronic components drove 2025 export growth.[5]
  • B2B order tracking
  • Quality notices
  • Support for overseas customers
Machinery and industrial equipmentMachines and mechanical appliances were a top-five export product in 2023, at about US$26.0bn.[6]
  • Service-ticket updates
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Spare-parts orders for overseas sites
Cross-border retailThe cashless payment ratio reached 58.0% in 2025 on METI's revised indicator; credit cards made up 82.7% of cashless value and code payments 10.2%.[11]
  • Order and delivery notices for overseas shoppers
  • Payment links
  • Post-visit offers to opted-in visitors

Compliance

The APPI, the e-mail law, and the open question

Japan's privacy law plainly applies to customer data. Whether its anti-spam law reaches WhatsApp is not settled, so plan as if consent is required; Meta requires it anyway.

The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI, Act No. 57 of 2003) governs personal data; the Personal Information Protection Commission says the amended Act was fully put into effect on 1 April 2022.[12],[13]

Regulator: Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC)

  1. Point 1

    Purpose first

    A business must specify the purpose of use as far as possible (Article 17) and promptly notify the person of it or make it public (Article 21).[13]

  2. Point 2

    Consent before third-party provision, and before data goes abroad

    Personal data may not be provided to a third party without the person's prior consent (Article 27(1)), subject to listed exceptions and an opt-out regime. Provision to a third party in a foreign country requires consent under Article 28(1) unless an exception applies.[13]

  3. Point 3

    Leaks are reported

    Data leaks and similar security incidents must be reported to the PPC and notified to the affected person (Article 26).[13]

  4. Point 4

    The 2026 amendment: passed, not yet in force

    Passed on 10 July 2026 and promulgated on 17 July 2026, it takes effect in principle within two years, with cabinet orders, rules and guidelines still being drafted. The PPC's April 2026 bill outline describes administrative surcharges for serious violations, a legal representative as the consent counterparty for people under 16, limits on facial feature data, and some statistics-only uses without consent.[14],[15],[16]

  5. Point 5

    The Specified Electronic Mail Act: scope is the question

    The Act bars sending advertising e-mail except to listed persons, chiefly those who consented in advance, and requires consent records, stopping on request and sender details (Articles 3 and 4). A MIC ordinance limits its 'electronic mail' to SMTP-based messages and to messages sent to phones by telephone number. App messaging is not expressly addressed, so whether WhatsApp falls within the Act is unsettled.[17],[18]

  6. Point 6

    Consent, as the guideline describes it

    The MIC and Consumer Affairs Agency guideline (August 2011 edition) says the recipient must understand that advertising e-mail will be sent and agree to it, and recommends double opt-in and unticked boxes. It does not mention social networks or messaging apps.[19]

  7. Point 7

    Mail-order sellers: opt-in for e-mail advertising

    Under the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, a mail-order business may in principle not send e-mail advertising without the consumer's prior consent. The Consumer Affairs Agency's guide discusses e-mail and fax advertising only.[20]

  8. Point 8

    Stealth marketing is prohibited

    Since 1 October 2023, advertising that consumers cannot tell is the advertiser's own, such as undisclosed paid posts or reviews, breaches the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, with the advertiser as the regulated party.[21]

  9. Point 9

    Meta's opt-in rule settles the practice

    Whatever the e-mail law's reach, WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in permission confirming the person wishes to receive messages from you.[22]

  10. A summary of public guidance from the sources cited, not legal advice.

Language

One booking update, in Japanese and English

Meta accepts templates in Japanese, and each language version is approved on its own. A hotel or exporter writing to domestic and overseas customers submits both.

Write the Japanese version natively rather than translating the English line by line, and keep the booking details in the same order in both so your team can check them at a glance.

InfiQ's own support team works in English and Hindi on India time. The Japanese wording of your templates is yours to write and check.

Template language

Prices in ₹ and JPY

What a WhatsApp message to Japan costs

Japanese numbers sit in Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific pricing market. On InfiQ a marketing message costs ₹7.41, a utility message ₹0.9938, an authentication message ₹0.9938 and a service reply ₹0.9938; plans start at ₹999 a month.

Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC

Lite

₹999 / month≈ ¥1,667 JPY

₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ ¥1,390 JPY

Growth

₹2,999 / month≈ ¥5,003 JPY

₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ ¥4,169 JPY

Enterprise

Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.

Per message to Japan · Rest of Asia Pacific (regional rate)

InfiQ per-message rates for Japan in rupees and JPY
Category₹ INRJPY
Marketing₹7.4057¥12.4
Utility₹0.9938¥1.7
Authentication₹0.9938¥1.7
Service₹0.9938¥1.7
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and JPY
Per-message rates by market, effective 1 October 2026
MarketMarketingUtilityAuthenticationService
Argentina¥9.1₹5.4352¥3.8₹2.2874¥3.8₹2.2874¥3.8₹2.2874
Bangladesh¥10.7₹6.4397¥0.543₹0.3254¥0.543₹0.3254¥0.543₹0.3254
Brazil¥9.2₹5.4970¥0.998₹0.5981¥0.998₹0.5981¥0.998₹0.5981
Chile¥13.0₹7.8162¥2.9₹1.7585¥2.9₹1.7585¥2.9₹1.7585
Colombia¥1.8₹1.0993¥0.118₹0.0706¥0.118₹0.0706¥0.118₹0.0706
Egypt¥9.4₹5.6629¥0.528₹0.3167¥0.528₹0.3167¥0.528₹0.3167
France¥12.6₹7.5588¥4.4₹2.6393¥4.4₹2.6393¥4.4₹2.6393
Germany¥20.0₹12.0088¥8.1₹4.8386¥8.1₹4.8386¥8.1₹4.8386
Hong Kong¥10.7₹6.4397¥3.8₹2.2867¥3.8₹2.2867¥3.8₹2.2867
Hungary¥12.6₹7.5596¥5.1₹3.0700¥5.1₹3.0700¥5.1₹3.0700
India¥1.6₹0.9435¥0.324₹0.1941¥0.234₹0.1402¥0.242₹0.1450
Indonesia¥6.0₹3.6133¥3.7₹2.1979¥3.7₹2.1979¥3.7₹2.1979
Iraq¥5.0₹2.9992¥1.2₹0.6943¥1.2₹0.6943¥1.2₹0.6943
Israel¥5.2₹3.1045¥0.778₹0.4662¥0.778₹0.4662¥0.778₹0.4662
Italy¥11.7₹6.9847¥4.4₹2.6369¥4.4₹2.6369¥4.4₹2.6369
Kazakhstan¥8.9₹5.3098¥2.6₹1.5824¥2.6₹1.5824¥2.6₹1.5824
Kuwait¥11.6₹6.9671¥6.5₹3.8671¥6.5₹3.8671¥6.5₹3.8671
Malaysia¥12.6₹7.5644¥2.1₹1.2314¥2.1₹1.2314¥2.1₹1.2314
Mexico¥5.8₹3.4877¥1.2₹0.7471¥1.2₹0.7471¥1.2₹0.7471
Morocco¥6.1₹3.6425¥3.4₹2.0218¥3.4₹2.0218¥3.4₹2.0218
Netherlands¥23.4₹14.0494¥7.3₹4.3987¥7.3₹4.3987¥7.3₹4.3987
Nepal¥10.7₹6.4397¥0.499₹0.2990¥0.499₹0.2990¥0.499₹0.2990
Nigeria¥7.6₹4.5421¥0.984₹0.5898¥0.984₹0.5898¥0.984₹0.5898
Oman¥5.0₹2.9992¥3.6₹2.1709¥3.6₹2.1709¥3.6₹2.1709
Pakistan¥6.9₹4.1620¥2.2₹1.3200¥2.2₹1.3200¥2.2₹1.3200
Peru¥10.3₹6.1843¥4.4₹2.6392¥4.4₹2.6392¥4.4₹2.6392
Poland¥5.4₹3.2105¥1.8₹1.0702¥1.8₹1.0702¥1.8₹1.0702
Qatar¥5.0₹2.9992¥1.8₹1.0547¥1.8₹1.0547¥1.8₹1.0547
Romania¥12.6₹7.5596¥4.2₹2.5436¥4.2₹2.5436¥4.2₹2.5436
Russia¥11.8₹7.0520¥5.9₹3.5173¥5.9₹3.5173¥5.9₹3.5173
Saudi Arabia¥8.4₹5.0537¥1.6₹0.9401¥1.6₹0.9401¥1.6₹0.9401
Singapore¥10.7₹6.4397¥2.3₹1.4072¥2.3₹1.4072¥2.3₹1.4072
South Africa¥5.6₹3.3385¥1.4₹0.8369¥1.4₹0.8369¥1.4₹0.8369
Spain¥10.4₹6.2161¥2.9₹1.7578¥2.9₹1.7578¥2.9₹1.7578
Sri Lanka¥10.7₹6.4397¥0.293₹0.1759¥0.293₹0.1759¥0.293₹0.1759
Turkey¥1.6₹0.9587¥0.132₹0.0792¥0.132₹0.0792¥0.132₹0.0792
Ukraine¥12.6₹7.5596¥4.4₹2.6138¥4.4₹2.6138¥4.4₹2.6138
United Arab Emirates¥8.4₹5.0537¥2.3₹1.3811¥2.3₹1.3811¥2.3₹1.3811
United Kingdom¥9.3₹5.5795¥3.2₹1.9346¥3.2₹1.9346¥3.2₹1.9346
North America¥3.7₹2.1976¥0.499₹0.2989¥0.499₹0.2989¥0.499₹0.2989
Rest of Africa¥3.3₹1.9796¥0.587₹0.3516¥0.587₹0.3516¥0.587₹0.3516
Rest of Asia Pacific¥12.4₹7.4057¥1.7₹0.9938¥1.7₹0.9938¥1.7₹0.9938
Rest of Central & Eastern Europe¥12.6₹7.5596¥3.1₹1.8595¥3.1₹1.8595¥3.1₹1.8595
Rest of Latin America¥10.9₹6.5048¥1.7₹0.9934¥1.7₹0.9934¥1.7₹0.9934
Rest of Middle East¥5.8₹3.4490¥1.3₹0.7998¥1.3₹0.7998¥1.3₹0.7998
Rest of Western Europe¥8.7₹5.2054¥2.5₹1.5019¥2.5₹1.5019¥2.5₹1.5019
Other¥8.9₹5.3098¥1.1₹0.6769¥1.1₹0.6769¥1.1₹0.6769
Currency converter

¥1,667 JPY

Indicative conversion at reference rates (ExchangeRate-API snapshot). InfiQ sets and invoices prices in Indian rupees, excluding GST; your bank’s rate on the day you pay will differ. Rates By Exchange Rate API.

Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. Invoices are in rupees, with GST for Indian businesses; yen amounts from the converter are indicative. Conversations that visitors start are answered with service replies, charged per message since 1 October 2026.

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Atlas

One time zone, three metropolitan areas

Japan keeps Japan Standard Time all year, three and a half hours ahead of India, with daylight saving on neither side.

The gap never moves: 9:00 in Tokyo is 5:30 in India, and an Indian 10:00 start is 13:30 in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya alike.

Japan's office day runs from India's early morning to mid-afternoon, so a support desk in India can cover Japanese business hours with an early start rather than a night shift.

More than half of Japan's people live in the metropolitan areas around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Drag the globe to find them.

On InfiQ

What InfiQ brings to the WhatsApp side

InfiQ runs WhatsApp only. These are the pieces that matter when the customer is international.

Template manager and library

Draft, submit and track WhatsApp message templates for Meta's approval, starting from a library of 1,000+ ready templates in 27 categories.

Submit Japanese and English versions of the same template and track each one's approval separately.

Learn more

Two ways in

Starting from India, or from Japan

InfiQ serves India-based businesses. A company based in Japan gets a straight answer from sales rather than a sign-up form.

Your business is in India

  1. 1.

    Decide who WhatsApp is for

    List the customers who actually write on WhatsApp: overseas buyers, visitors before arrival, expatriate clients. Keep LINE or e-mail for everyone else.

  2. 2.

    Start the trial

    A 7-day Lite trial, no card needed. Once Meta business verification is complete, a number is typically live in about two hours.

  3. 3.

    Write two template sets

    Japanese and English versions of each booking or order update, each approved by Meta separately.

  4. 4.

    Collect opt-ins at booking or order

    An opt-in that names WhatsApp and your business is what Meta's policy asks for, whatever the e-mail law's reach.

Your business is in Japan

  1. 1.

    Talk to sales

    InfiQ serves India-based businesses. For a company based in Japan, availability goes through sales.

  2. 2.

    Know the terms

    Invoices in Indian rupees, not yen; customer data processed in India; support in English and Hindi on India time. InfiQ has no office, entity or staff in Japan.

  3. 3.

    Check the transfer question

    APPI Article 28 governs providing personal data to a third party abroad; take advice on how it applies before customer data leaves Japan.

City guides in Japan

Questions businesses ask about WhatsApp in Japan

Our customers in Japan use LINE. Who is WhatsApp actually for?
International customers. MIC's FY2025 survey found 92.9% of people in Japan use LINE, and WhatsApp was not on its list, so WhatsApp is for the audiences outside that: overseas buyers and distributors, foreign visitors before and during a trip, and expatriate customers who already message you on it.
Does the Specified Electronic Mail Act cover WhatsApp promotions?
That is unsettled. A MIC ordinance limits the Act's 'electronic mail' to SMTP-based messages and messages sent to phones by telephone number, and neither the Act, the ordinance nor the 2011 MIC and Consumer Affairs Agency guideline addresses app messaging. Treat it as an open legal question and collect opt-in consent anyway, because Meta's policy requires it.
Can one WhatsApp template go out in both Japanese and English?
Not as one template: each language version is submitted and approved by Meta separately. Japanese is on Meta's template language list, so plan a Japanese and an English version of every booking or order update you need, written natively rather than translated line by line.
Where is message data stored, and does APPI Article 28 matter?
InfiQ processes customer data in India. For a business in Japan, Article 28(1) of the APPI requires the person's consent before personal data is provided to a third party in a foreign country, unless an exception applies; how that applies to your use of InfiQ is a question for your adviser.
How will the 2026 APPI amendment affect a WhatsApp programme?
Not yet: it was promulgated on 17 July 2026 and takes effect in principle within two years, with rules and guidelines still being drafted. The PPC's outline brings administrative surcharges for serious violations and a legal representative as the consent counterparty for people under 16, so review how you handle minors' contacts before it starts.
Can WhatsApp run alongside our LINE Official Account in one inbox?
Not in InfiQ. InfiQ runs the WhatsApp Business Platform only, and its shared inbox handles WhatsApp conversations with transfers, notes, labels and canned replies. LINE conversations stay in LINE's own tools.
When should an Indian team schedule messages for Tokyo?
During India's morning. Japan is three and a half hours ahead of India all year, so 9:00 in Tokyo is 5:30 in India and 13:30 in Tokyo is 10:00 in India. Broadcasts can be scheduled, so an early Tokyo send does not need an early start in India.
Do you invoice Japanese companies in yen?
No. InfiQ invoices in Indian rupees and serves India-based businesses; it has no entity, office or staff in Japan. A company based in Japan should talk to sales, who will say plainly whether InfiQ can work for it. The yen figures on this page are indicative conversions only.
How much does a booking confirmation to a Japanese number cost?
A booking confirmation is a utility message, which costs ₹0.9938 on InfiQ for a Japanese number in Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific market. Marketing messages cost ₹7.41, authentication ₹0.9938 and service replies ₹0.9938, all ex-GST, plus a plan from ₹999 a month.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. InfiQ's rates come from its published rate card. Page updated 2026-10-20.

  1. [1]Time Zone Database (tzdb 2026e), asia file: Asia/Tokyo and Rule Japan · IANA · read 2026-10-20
  2. [2]FY2025 Survey on usage time of information and communication media and information behaviour, summary (June 2026) · MIC Institute for Information and Communications Policy · read 2026-10-20
  3. [3]LINE Official Account · LY Corporation (LINE Yahoo for Business) · read 2026-10-20
  4. [4]Visitor arrivals and Japanese overseas travelers, 1964-2025 · Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) · read 2026-10-20
  5. [5]Trade Statistics for 2025 (preliminary), press release 22 January 2026 · Ministry of Finance / Japan Customs · read 2026-10-20
  6. [6]Japan trade summary (2023 data) · World Bank WITS · read 2026-10-20
  7. [7]World Development Indicators: GDP (current US$), Japan · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  8. [8]Statistical Handbook of Japan 2026 · Statistics Bureau of Japan (MIC) · read 2026-10-20
  9. [9]Statistical Handbook of Japan 2026 (full PDF), Chapter 2 · Statistics Bureau of Japan (MIC) · read 2026-10-20
  10. [10]The Motor Industry of Japan 2026 · Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) · read 2026-10-20
  11. [11]2025 cashless payment ratio (31 March 2026) · Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) · read 2026-10-20
  12. [12]PPC (English): homepage and news · Personal Information Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  13. [13]Act on the Protection of Personal Information (English translation) · Japanese Law Translation (Ministry of Justice) · read 2026-10-20
  14. [14]2026 amended APPI (令和8年 改正個人情報保護法) · Personal Information Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  15. [15]Overview of the 2026 amending Act (July 2026) · Personal Information Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  16. [16]Outline of the 2026 amendment bill (7 April 2026) · Personal Information Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  17. [17]Act on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail (Act No. 26 of 2002), Articles 2-4 · e-Gov Laws (Digital Agency) · read 2026-10-20
  18. [18]Ministerial Ordinance on communication methods under Article 2(i) of the Specified Electronic Mail Act (MIC Ordinance No. 85 of 2009) · e-Gov Laws (Digital Agency) · read 2026-10-20
  19. [19]Guidelines on transmission of specified electronic mail (特定電子メールの送信等に関するガイドライン), August 2011 edition · Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and Consumer Affairs Agency · read 2026-10-20
  20. [20]Specified Commercial Transactions Act guide: mail-order sales · Consumer Affairs Agency · read 2026-10-20
  21. [21]Stealth marketing regulation · Consumer Affairs Agency · read 2026-10-20
  22. [22]WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (updated 23 September 2026) · WhatsApp (Meta) · read 2026-10-20

Put WhatsApp where your Japan customers are international

Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, with Japanese and English templates from the first day. A company based in Japan? Talk to sales.

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