Cut Fixed Costs in Japan 2026: 7 Bills in Order, How to Cancel Each

This article was checked on 6 November 2026 against material from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on cancellation rules, the official pages of docomo, au, SoftBank, Rakuten Mobile, povo, ahamo and NTT East, the Consumer Affairs Agency, the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, TEPCO Energy Partner, NHK, the Ministry of Land’s model lease, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Japan Institute of Life Insurance, Apple and Google. Prices and terms change. Check the page for your own contract before you act.

Knowing this, you can pick the contract to start with today, and avoid switching deals that lose money on fees and build costs. You will also know where to tap on a cancellation screen that is only in Japanese.

Your card statement shows a charge you do not recognise, every month. Your phone bill is high, but you have no idea what leaving would cost. The cancellation screen is only in Japanese, and you cannot tell which button cancels. A Japanese friend says, “Just cancel in the renewal month.” But when is that? Your friend only knows their own.

How do you cut fixed costs in Japan? Start with what is cheap to undo

Go by size and you usually start with rent. But lowering rent means moving, and that takes money and time.

So the order here rests on three questions. Can you do it today? Is it free to change? Can you undo it if you get it wrong? This order is not a legal rule. It is this site’s view.

A cancelled insurance policy cannot be restored, so it comes later. Rent comes last, but check your renewal date today.

Where do you start? Make a list of your contracts

Even someone living alone has more contracts than they expect. Write them down on paper or in a note. Look in five places.

• Debits in your bankbook or banking app
• Your credit and debit card statements
• The carrier billing line on your phone bill
• The subscriptions list in your iPhone settings
• The subscriptions list in Google Play on Android

For each contract, write down these five things. This is your checklist.

1. The monthly amount
2. The next renewal date, or the month the term ends
3. What it costs to leave early
4. Any handset or build cost still unpaid
5. Any equipment you must return

Note your login ID too. The National Consumer Affairs Center warns that you will need your sign-up details to cancel, so do not lose them.

How do you cancel a subscription in Japan? Deleting the app is not enough

Deleting an app you no longer use does not stop the payments. The National Consumer Affairs Center repeated this warning in July 2026. Google Play also says that uninstalling does not cancel a subscription.

Cancel in the place where you signed up.

• In an iPhone app: as Apple explains, open Settings, tap your name, then cancel under Subscriptions
• In an Android app: tap Cancel subscription in your Google Play subscriptions
• On a website: cancel on that site’s account page
• Through your phone company: ask that company

Free trials have a deadline too. The Consumer Affairs Agency warns that many move to the normal price automatically once the free period ends. Cancel an Apple free trial at least 24 hours before it ends.

What if you forgot to cancel and want your money back? During the contract period you are charged whether you use the service or not. Whether you get a refund depends on the rules of the place you signed up. Ask the company first. If you are not satisfied, call the consumer hotline, 188. How to call and what language support exists are in the cooling-off guide.

What if the cancel screen is only in Japanese? Learn 7 words

A browser translation will not show you the difference between ending a contract and leaving a membership. Learn these words first and you can find the right button.

Before you press cancel, save the screen. Keep the confirmation screen and email as well. If you are unsure it worked, check the contract status on your account page, and check next month’s statement.

Can you lower the NHK fee? Check whether you are exempt

The NHK fee is 1,100 yen a month for a terrestrial contract (2,200 yen per 2-month payment), and 1,950 yen for a TV that receives BS (3,900 yen per 2-month payment). Okinawa has different amounts. If you have no TV or similar device and do not use NHK ONE, you have no duty to sign a contract.

Students living away from their parents or family home may get a full exemption. You must fit one of the set reasons, such as an annual income of 1.87 million yen or less in the previous year. It does not happen unless you apply.

If you get rid of your TV, for example, follow the cancellation procedure. Do not file a false report. The conditions and steps are in the NHK fee guide.

Is there a fee to cancel a phone contract? See if it is within 1 year

Look at two dates: when you signed, and when you leave. The order of this table is not a ranking.

Company	Cost of leaving (checked 6 November 2026)
docomo	None in principle. A personal contract cancelled within 1 year: 1,100 yen. On a plan under 1,100 yen a month, the same as the monthly charge
ahamo	None in principle. New contracts from 1 July 2025 (including MNP) cancelled within 1 year (365 days) of signing: 1,100 yen. Cancellation within 8 days is excluded. Contracts from 1 March to 30 June 2025 have extra conditions
au, UQ mobile	New contracts from 1 October 2025 cancelled within 1 year: 1,100 yen. Otherwise 0 yen. On a plan under 1,100 yen a month after discounts, that amount. Earlier contracts have different terms
SoftBank	New or transferred-in contracts from 1 July 2026 cancelled within 12 months of the month service began: up to 1,100 yen, depending on the plan
Rakuten Mobile	From 1 April 2025, cancelling within 1 year of the line’s start of use brings a cancellation handling fee: up to 1,078 yen on the Rakuten Saikyo Plan (1 month of the minimum monthly charge) and 1,100 yen on the Rakuten Saikyo U-NEXT Plan. 0 yen after 1 year. Initial contract cancellation, transfer and succession are excluded
povo2.0	No cancellation fee

The handset balance matters more than the fee. SoftBank and docomo both say that instalments keep going after you cancel. Check the amount and the number of payments left on your account page.

For your next phone, this site’s view is to pay in full or buy used, and pair it with a budget SIM. We do not recommend carrier instalments. The reasons are in the phone instalments guide. To choose a SIM from the data you actually need, read the SIM comparison.

If you want to keep your number, do not cancel first. Apply with the new company using number portability (MNP). Your old contract is not cancelled until the new contract is complete. Within 1 year, the fee can still apply to MNP at some companies, such as ahamo. Moving your number out is free on the web. By phone or in a shop, a fee of up to 1,100 yen may apply.

Leaving mid-month may not save you anything. au charges the full month, except when you move to UQ mobile or povo2.0 with the same number, among other cases. SoftBank does not pro-rate the last month either, apart from some plans. On a contract that bills the full month, leaving near the end of the month gives you more use for the same charge.

Is there a fee to cancel home internet? Capped at 1 month, but build costs are separate

Home internet contracts often still run for a fixed term such as 2 years. Under a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications rule, the penalty on a fixed-term contract is capped at 1 month’s charge. This applies to contracts signed on or after 1 July 2022. A transitional measure covers contracts signed by 30 June 2022, but according to a ministry paper it cannot be used for renewals from July 2025 and ends completely at the end of June 2028. If your contract is that old, check your own amount on your account page.

Miss the renewal window and a fee applies. Here is an example from SoftBank’s Hikari and Air 2-year auto-renewal plans.

Month 1 is the month the contract was made for Hikari, and the month billing began for Air. Other companies count differently and use different terms. On SoftBank Hikari, if you use options / services that carry a fee, a separate fee of up to 11,000 yen may apply.

Three costs sit outside the fee cap.

• Unpaid build costs: in the ministry’s example, cancelling a 24-month contract in month 3 lets the company charge 22/24 of the build cost. FLET’S Hikari also collects the rest of the initial build cost in one payment if you cancel while paying in instalments
• Removal work: for NTT East FLET’S Hikari, on cancellations applied for from 1 April 2026, this applies only when a technician visits. Applying through NTT East’s website, it is 13,200 yen for a house and 11,000 yen for an apartment building. Applying any other way, it is 14,300 yen and 12,100 yen from 1 July 2026. Work on weekends, holidays / from 29 December to 3 January adds 3,300 yen. It is not charged if the visit is for NTT East’s own reasons, among other cases
• Equipment not returned: the same ministry paper lets the company charge the cost of rented equipment you do not give back

If your phone data is enough, you could drop home internet altogether. The home internet guide compares this with options that need no installation.

How much insurance do you need? Keep cover for what savings cannot pay

Insurance is for costs too large for your savings. If your savings could pay a cost, you can choose to save the monthly premium instead.

The public benefits to check are the monthly cap on medical costs and survivors’ pensions. What to count is in the life insurance guide. If your savings are still small, work out your emergency fund first.

When you drop private insurance, keep to the right order. The Japan Institute of Life Insurance warns that switching can raise your premium, and that your health may stop you getting a new contract. So if you are switching, cancel only after the new contract is in force. The surrender value is normally less than the premiums you paid.

Some things cannot be dropped. National Health Insurance and the National Pension are public schemes, separate from private insurance, and you cannot cancel them. If they are too high, apply to lower them. See the health insurance reduction and the pension exemption. Renters insurance can be a condition of your lease, so do not simply stop it.

How do you lower electricity and gas? Check fees and whose name it is in

You can switch electricity company even in a rented home. The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy says the condition is that the current contract is in your own name. If a whole apartment building buys electricity under one contract, ask the management association.

Some plans have a cancellation fee, so read your current contract first. To switch, you just apply to the new company, which can cancel the old contract with your consent. The standard time is about 4 days, or about 2 weeks if a smart meter must be fitted.

You can also lower the bill without changing company. On TEPCO’s Meter-Rate Lighting B plan, your contract amperage sets the base charge. From 1 November 2026, tax included, 30A is 1,176.18 yen and 20A is 784.12 yen. As an example, going from 30A to 20A lowers the base charge by 392.06 yen a month.

Four conditions apply. You cannot change it in the first year of the contract. In an apartment, you may need consent from the owner or manager. If work is needed, you pay for it. Depending on how you use power, your total bill may not fall. Other companies may set the base charge differently.

Gas depends on the type. In a rented home on propane (LP gas), you cannot choose the company after moving in. More is in the utilities guide. Ways to use less are in the winter electricity guide.

Is switching really cheaper? Work out the months to break even

A cheaper plan is not always a saving if switching costs money. The sum is one line.

Cost of switching ÷ monthly saving = months to break even

Cost of switching means every cancellation fee, any unpaid build cost, and the new company’s fee. A handset balance does not go away when you cancel, so keep it apart from the saving.

In the phone example, a 1,100 yen cancellation fee and a 3,850 yen sign-up fee make 4,950 yen. If that saved 2,000 yen a month, you would break even in month 3. Sign-up fees differ by company and channel. In Rakuten Mobile’s reference table (as of April 2026), a new contract on the web is 0 yen at docomo and 3,850 yen at au and SoftBank.

In the rent example, moving costs 200,000 yen in total and rent falls by 10,000 yen a month. That takes 20 months to break even. In this example, moving loses money if you have only 1 more year in Japan. Put in your own quotes and do the sum.

When should you review your rent? Do the sum before renewal

Rent comes last, but start preparing early. Check these three things in your lease.

• The renewal date, and whether there is a renewal fee
• How many days’ notice you must give. The government’s model lease says 30 days, but the number in your own lease comes first
• Whether a special clause sets a penalty for leaving within a short period

Renewal is a good time to compare moving. Take any renewal fee you avoid off the cost of moving, separately from the monthly saving. For cheaper housing, see the public housing and UR guide and the flat-hunting guide.

If your landlord asks for more rent, they cannot decide alone. The steps are in the rent increase guide.

What should you cancel before leaving Japan? Keep phone and bank until last

You leave the flat, board the plane, and your contracts just end. Where you come from, that may be normal. In Japan, some contracts continue until you cancel them yourself. Rakuten Mobile says that if you go home without cancelling, the monthly charges keep coming.

When you leave, the order changes from a normal review. You need your phone to confirm cancellations, and your account to pay the last bills. This order is also this site’s view.

First check which services use SMS codes to log in. Once the phone is cancelled, you cannot receive those codes.

Bills still arrive after you cancel. docomo bills charges up to your cancellation date in the following month, and may bill call charges and similar for about 1 to 2 months after. It asks you to keep your bank account or card as it is until the final bill has been paid.

If that will not fit your departure date, ask each company before closing your account. “When is my last bill, and how do I pay it?” is enough. The full order, including your residence record, pension and bank account, is in the leaving Japan checklist. NHK has a procedure for moving abroad, and someone living alone must cancel.

What about a foreign credit card, or no credit card? Decide how to pay first

A card issued abroad may not work for a Japanese contract. ahamo says cards issued overseas may be refused to prevent fraud. Before you apply to switch, read the new company’s payment section.

Without a credit card, some contracts can still be paid by bank debit. Which companies take which methods is in the paying without a credit card guide.

The last payment after you leave also needs planning. Rakuten Mobile’s guide lists changing to a usable overseas card, a convenience store payment slip, and having someone in Japan pay for you. It also describes changing the billing address, when you apply to cancel, to a Japanese address that can receive the bill. For other companies, ask each one.

What if you cannot cancel, or cannot pay? Make contact before it stops

If the cancellation line does not answer, note the date and time of your call. Telecom companies have a duty to provide a way to cancel without delay. The ministry paper assumes that this will basically be on the web.

You can also get help if the online sign-up screen hid the terms. For online sales, since 1 June 2022 the cancellation method and conditions must be shown on the final confirmation screen. If a misleading display led you to sign up, you may be able to rescind the contract. Call 188.

Do not ignore a fee because you cannot pay it. If a contract is ended for non-payment, it can affect new contracts with other telecom companies, according to Rakuten Mobile’s guide. How electricity and gas get cut off is in the utilities guide.

If your income fell because you left a job or similar, and rent is a struggle, there is a rent subsidy called the Housing Security Benefit. Conditions include looking for work, and the contact is your local independence support office. Ask them before you borrow.

Which one are you?

• Short of money this month: stopping unused subscriptions comes first. Today, open your card statement and your phone’s subscriptions list.
• Your phone bill feels high: work out the months to break even. Today, check your sign-up month and handset balance on your account page.
• On a 2-year home internet contract: the point is not to miss the renewal window. Today, put the end month in your calendar.
• Holding private insurance: there is no rush to cancel. Today, take out your policy and write down which cost it is for.
• Leaving Japan within 1 year: do not add moves or long contracts. Today, make your contract list and put it in leaving order.

FAQ

Q. Where do I start with cutting fixed costs in Japan?
A. Start with what you can do today, cheaply, and undo. This site’s order is subscriptions, NHK, phone, home internet, private insurance, electricity and gas, then rent. No law sets this order.

Q. Does deleting the app cancel a subscription?
A. No. The National Consumer Affairs Center and Google Play both say deleting is not cancelling. Use Settings on an iPhone, Google Play on Android, or the website if you signed up there.

Q. How much is the fee to cancel a phone contract?
A. It depends on the company and when you signed. At docomo a personal contract cancelled within 1 year is 1,100 yen. At au a new contract from 1 October 2025 cancelled within 1 year is 1,100 yen. At SoftBank a contract joined from 1 July 2026 and cancelled within 12 months is up to 1,100 yen. The handset balance is separate.

Q. Is there a cap on fees for cancelling fibre internet?
A. On a fixed-term contract signed on or after 1 July 2022, the penalty is capped at 1 month’s charge. Unpaid build costs, removal work and unreturned equipment are separate. The transitional measure for earlier contracts cannot be used for renewals from July 2025 and ends at the end of June 2028, so check the amount on your account page.

Q. What happens if I leave Japan without cancelling?
A. Some contracts keep billing you. Rakuten Mobile says monthly charges continue after you go home if you have not cancelled. Cancel before you leave, and settle how you will pay the last bill.

Q. Can I pay Japanese contracts with a card issued abroad?
A. It may be refused. ahamo says cards issued overseas may not be accepted. Read the payment section before applying, and check bank debit too if you have a Japanese bank account.

Summary

This site’s view is to cut fixed costs in the order they are easy to change, not by size. Stop subscriptions, check the NHK exemption, and look at renewal months and balances for your phone and home internet. Keep private insurance only for costs your savings cannot pay, then look at electricity and gas, and do the sum on rent before renewal.

Decide on any switch by the months to break even. If that is shorter than your time left in Japan, switch. When you leave, keep your phone and bank account until last, and settle how you will pay the last bill before you go.

Official sources: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, outline of the Telecommunications Business Act rule change / the same ministry on limits on penalties / the same ministry on ending the transitional measure / the same ministry’s mobile phone portal / Consumer Affairs Agency on subscription trouble / National Consumer Affairs Center, issue 545 / Agency for Natural Resources and Energy FAQ / TEPCO Energy Partner on contract amperage / NHK on cancelling / Ministry of Land model lease / Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on the Housing Security Benefit / Japan Institute of Life Insurance / Apple Support / Google Play Help / each telecom company’s official page (linked in the text). Checked 6 November 2026.

Read next

• If you want a lower phone bill and need the right SIM → Best SIM in Japan for Foreigners 2026: No Credit Card Needed
• If you want to work out how much savings you need before cutting insurance → Emergency Fund in Japan for Foreigners 2026: How Much, and Where
• If you want to do everything in the right order before going home → Leaving Japan for Good: The Checklist That Saves You Money

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