Google Android leads surge in smartphone adoption in Japan

By eGovInnovation Editors | Jul 4, 2011

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TOKYO -- comScore Japan KK, a wholly owned subsidiary of comScore Inc., has released the latest insights into mobile usage in Japan from its comScore MobiLens product, which showed, among others, that Google Android led as the top smartphone platform in March 2011 with 4.6 million users.

Apple ranked second with 3.9 million mobile subscribers in Japan. Despite giving up its no. 1 position, Apple still grew 17 percent in the past six months to 3.9 million mobile subscribers.

The two leading platforms accounted for 87 percent of the smartphone market in Japan.

"Although smartphone adoption rates in Japan have historically lagged behind the US and Europe, we have witnessed the rapid increase of smartphone users in Japan throughout the past several months fueled by iPhone and Android devices. Smartphone adoption is increasing not only in the larger cities like Tokyo, but throughout the smaller regions as well, signaling what could be the beginning of a tide change in the Japanese mobile market," said Daizo Nishitani, President of comScore Japan KK.

comScore said in March 2010, more than 9.7 million people owned smartphones in Japan, an increase of 71 percent from September 2010, as smartphone adoption has continued to accelerate in the country.