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Does Japan Ban Phones in Schools? What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Partly. Japan has no national law, but a July 2020 education ministry (MEXT) notice says primary and junior high pupils should not, in principle, bring phones to school. Junior highs may allow them for the commute under conditions, with no use inside school. High schools set their own rules.
The current rule is a MEXT notice, 'On the handling of mobile phones in schools', dated 31 July 2020. Elementary schools keep the principle that phones are not brought to school, with exceptions for safety on the commute. Junior high schools may allow phones if conditions are met, but use inside school is prohibited and phones are collected on arrival. High schools and special schools decide their own policies.
Before 2020, the national stance was a stricter no-phones principle. Concern about reaching children after earthquakes and on long commutes led an expert panel to recommend allowing phones at junior high level. MEXT then issued the 2020 notice to boards of education. It remains guidance, not law, and boards of education and individual schools write the detailed rules.
Where junior highs allow phones, the notice sets conditions: agreed rules between school, students and parents, filtering on the device, clear responsibility for loss or damage, and teaching about online risks. Phones are generally collected on arrival and returned at the end of the day. Use is allowed for emergencies, lessons on phone use, or cases the principal approves.
Whatever the rule in Japan requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so elementary and junior high schools do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Japan, and can print the school's name or crest on them. Schools buy them outright: one price, no subscription, lease or per-student annual licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you already have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
Can junior high students bring smartphones to school in Japan?
Only where the school allows it under the 2020 MEXT conditions, mainly for safety on the commute. Phones must not be used inside school.
Is there a law banning phones in Japanese schools?
No. The national rule is a 2020 ministry notice. Boards of education and schools set the detailed policy.
What about high schools?
The 2020 notice leaves high schools and special schools to decide their own rules, taking account of the educational impact.
Related reading
School phone bans by country · Phone-free schools toolkit · How to roll out phone pouches in a school
Written by the team at Before The Internet, a Toronto-based phone-free company that rents lockable phone pouches for events across North America and sells them to schools and venues worldwide, shipping purchases to any country.
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