BigFeat

Has anyone gotten away with not having to provide a green card or visa in order to purchase a mobile phone in Japan. It seems like the verification process is extremely stringent. Most places outside of Japan allows one to purchase mobile phones without a contract. In those cases the cost of the phone is usually higher and not discounted at all. I was wondering whether resellers and mobile company kiosks (ie Vodophone, DoComo, etc..) have different policies. Moreover, if there are places that are more flexible in allowing plp with short term stays to obtain a non-prepaid mobile phone.

It's unclear to me why seems Vodophone has mobile phones that have dual network compatibility with GSM networks in the UK and WCDMA network in Japan, but then again one can not purchase it unless they're a Japanese resident with green card or visa. The idea of selling phones sim-free or no contract attached was to allow consumers to roam freely with their phone into another market.

Alec

As you have gathered, those high-end 'global standard' phones are heavily subsidised by networks and carry a price tag of only 10-20k yen (plus contract). They are very popular and most young Japanese travellers in Europe seem to carry one. The roaming fees however are very high and it's a major money spinner so it's not in the network's interest to offer them sim-free. Besides, W-CDMA sim isn't available in Japan without a contract (i.e. there is no payg 3G service) so getting a sim-free handset is useless even if you could. To get a contract in Japan, like anywhere else, involves residency and passing a credit check, as the network needs to be certain that bills will be paid.
You can still buy a basic 2G payg phone (pre-paid keitai) from network stores and convenience stores. You may have to show an ID with a local address, but it could be a friend's or your company's.

BigFeat

Thanks Alec - In sim-free I was thinking along the line of the manufacturer selling it that way. I did notice some shops selling imports like my Sony Ericsson P900. I was hoping the Japanese phone manufacturers had a way to distribute the phone by bypassing the network vendors as it practiced in the western market. Are Vodophone shops the only pre-paid phone carriers? I got the one with the built-in camera to use here momentarily, but it seems like only the vodophone shops had pre-paid phones...

Alec

No. Payg is offered by all networks, though IMO Vodafone's Enjorno has the best combination of tariff and handset. It's often out of stock at their shops, but you can usually pick one up at convenience stores.
Phones using sim card have only been introduced with 3G W-CDMA in the last year or so. All 2G phones are programmed by networks and therefore network-specific. I think that with 3G there is a contractual agreement between manufacturers and networks that prevents handsets being sold sim-free.
If you have a sim with 3 or Voda UK and an unlocked 'Three' handset like NEC 313 or Moto A835 (both available for around £70 payg - cheaper than hiring one in Japan), you can roam in Japan on Voda Japan. But charges are extremely high: £1.50/min to call UK (£1.80 on 3) and £1.25/min to receive (80p on 3).

BigFeat

I was told that my T-MO USA sim would work here and the rate was decent, but I'd just have to swap it into a Japanese phone. That's the word I got from a T-MO USA rep. On the other hand, T-MO UK and NL sim cards had higher roaming charges as I have checked with them sometime last year. I haven't used my Vodophone UK card in a while and I know charges are usually outrageous. I'll try to roam around a few shops tomorrow for some more pre-paid models. I didn't get a chance to ask a T-MO USA rep about where I can swap my US sim card in Japan. From what I've seen so far I'm not even sure it's feasible as the rep told me over the phone.