First Day Abroad

Power sockets and voltage in Japan

Part of the Japan arrival guide.

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by

Sockets and voltage in Japan

  • Type ANEMA 1-15No earth
  • Type BNEMA 5-15Earthed
Voltage
100 V or 200 V
Frequency
50 Hz and 60 Hz
Earthed sockets
Type B

100 V is the lowest mains voltage in the world, and the country is split between 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west. Most sockets take unearthed Type A plugs only.

What you need, by where you are coming from

  • Arriving from the United States or CanadaPlugs go straight in and the voltage matches. Nothing to pack.
  • Arriving from the UK or IrelandA plug adapter, and appliances marked 100-240 V. Anything single-voltage needs a converter.
  • Arriving from most of continental EuropeA plug adapter, and appliances marked 100-240 V. Anything single-voltage needs a converter.
  • Arriving from Australia or New ZealandA plug adapter, and appliances marked 100-240 V. Anything single-voltage needs a converter.

Socket types, voltage and frequency are the nominal domestic supply as published in IEC/TR 60083 and the national standards it lists.

Japan runs the world's lowest mains voltage, 100 V, with unearthed Type sockets and a 50/60 Hz split between east and west.

Sockets in Japan are Type and at 100 V - the lowest mains voltage anywhere - and the grid runs at 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west.

  • Most sockets take two flat pins and nothing else. Type outlets with an earth hole exist, but a great many Japanese homes and older hotels have unearthed Type only.
  • An American plug fits straight in. Everyone else needs an adapter, and the flat two-pin shape is the same one used in the United States, Canada and Taiwan.
  • 100 V is gentler than it sounds. Chargers marked 100-240 V work normally. A 120 V American appliance runs slightly weakly rather than failing; a 230 V European one will not work properly at all.
  • The frequency split is real but rarely matters. Tokyo and everything east of the Fuji River is 50 Hz, Osaka and the west 60 Hz. It affects motors and clocks, not electronics.
  • Hotel bathrooms often have a 100 V shaver socket rated for very little current - not somewhere to charge a laptop.
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Sources (1)

What this guide was checked against. Rules and prices change — follow the official link before you rely on a detail.