Japan weighs letting homes block all international calls to stop scams

Japan's communications ministry has started looking at letting households block every international call on their landline. The first discussion was held on Nov. 2. The goal is to cut off scammers who call from abroad. Nothing has been decided yet.

Why now

The National Police Agency recorded about 28,000 special fraud cases in 2025, up 32.3 percent from 2024. Losses rose 98 percent to about 142.3 billion yen ($901.3 million). Phone calls were the first contact in about 80 percent of cases. Many calls came from abroad and went to landlines in Japan.

The default problem

Landline contracts in Japan include international calling by default. Phone companies tell customers they can turn it off, but only about 3 percent of landline users have. A panel of university professors, lawyers and other experts asked the ministry to notify all landline users about the option. Some members suggested international calling be off unless a customer asks to keep it.

What happens next

The ministry plans to write an interim report and set a direction as early as January. Still unclear is whether the default will actually change, how customers would be told, and when any change would take effect. Families with an older relative on a landline in Japan can ask the phone company whether international calls can be switched off.