Disclaimer: The prices and information presented on this page reflect a snapshot at the time of research and may change at any time without prior notice.
Aisha
07 March 2026
Japan remains one of the most popular destinations for travellers from Singapore, and for M1 users the question of connectivity tends to come up early in the trip planning process. The good news is that M1 roaming Japan is well-supported: Japan is covered by the Daily Passport at SGD $3.95 per day, placing it in M1's mid-tier roaming zone alongside South Korea, Australia, and the United States. The daily rate gives you 3GB of roaming data for 24 hours, which is more than enough for navigating the Tokyo Metro, booking Shinkansen tickets, and keeping up with Google Maps between Osaka and Kyoto. But as with any carrier roaming setup, there are conditions, caps, and a few things worth knowing before you fly.
M1's roaming service in Japan runs through preferred partner networks including NTT Docomo and SoftBank, two of Japan's largest carriers with extensive 4G LTE coverage across urban and regional Japan. Once you land at Narita, Haneda, or Kansai International and your phone detects a Japanese network, data roaming begins automatically if you have an active add-on and have turned on Data Roaming in your phone settings.
For postpaid users on Bespoke Flexi, Bespoke Contract, or Bespoke SIM-Only plans, Japan is included under the Daily Passport framework at SGD $3.95 per 24-hour period. The daily rate only activates when you actually use data, so if you have a Japan Daily Passport pre-registered but spend a layover day entirely on hotel Wi-Fi, you will not be charged for that day. There is also a flat SGD $4.95 subscription charge per billing month, applied once regardless of how many destinations or days you roam that month.
For Data Passport users, Japan falls within the APAC zone. Data Passport lets you use your existing local M1 data bundle while roaming on preferred networks, up to a combined cap of 15GB across all Data Passport destinations. Once you exceed that 15GB cap in a billing cycle, excess usage is charged at SGD $12.22 per GB, which is why active data users heading to Japan for more than a few days should think carefully about which plan structure best suits their trip.
M1 prepaid users with an M Card can access Japan roaming through Roaming Packs that include Japan in their country list. Without any pack, prepaid pay-as-you-go rates apply and can escalate quickly with even light smartphone use.
Here is a summary of the main roaming options for M1 users heading to Japan, as of March 2026. All prices are in SGD. Always check current rates in the My M1+ App or on m1.com.sg before your trip.
A practical note on the billing cycle: if your Japan trip runs across two calendar months, the SGD $4.95 Daily Passport subscription fee will apply in both billing cycles. A 10-day trip from late March into early April, for example, would be charged the subscription fee twice. Factor this in when comparing the Daily Passport against a fixed travel eSIM for longer trips.
Pre-register before you leave Singapore. M1 offers a free pre-registration feature for Daily Passport in up to 75 countries. Set it up in the My M1+ App and your Daily Passport will activate automatically the moment you use data in Japan, with no manual steps required on arrival. There is no charge until actual roaming data usage is detected.
Choose your preferred network manually if needed. M1's preferred partner networks in Japan are NTT Docomo and SoftBank. In most cases your phone will connect automatically, but if you see a different network name on your status bar, go to Settings > Carrier and select one of M1's preferred partners manually.
Combine Daily and Data Passport if you are a heavy user. If you are on a Data Passport and approaching your 15GB monthly cap, activate a Daily Passport for Japan to avoid the SGD $12.22/GB excess rate. You need to deactivate Data Passport first via the My M1+ App before Daily Passport can activate for Japan.
Enable Data Roaming in your phone settings separately. Subscribing to a roaming plan in the app does not automatically turn on data roaming at the OS level. On iPhone: Settings > Mobile Data > Data Roaming. On Android: Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Data Roaming.
Use the M1 Roaming Cap service. M1 offers a free Data Roaming Cap that limits your total Daily Passport and pay-as-you-go roaming charges to SGD $100 per month. Enable it in the My M1+ App for peace of mind if you are travelling for an extended period or are worried about accidental background data usage.
The Daily Passport at SGD $3.95 per day is a reasonable deal for a short Japan trip of three or four days, particularly for users already on Bespoke plans. But for a two-week Golden Week trip or a cherry blossom run that spans late March and early April, the daily charges add up quickly, and you may be crossing a billing cycle boundary that triggers a second SGD $4.95 subscription fee.
Japan trips also tend to be data-heavy. Between Google Maps on the subway, looking up restaurant hours in Osaka, downloading QR payment apps, and uploading to social media from Arashiyama or Hakone, 3GB per day is achievable but not always comfortable. If you are travelling with someone who also needs data, or you are working remotely, a travel eSIM with a fixed multi-day or multi-gigabyte package is often simpler and more cost-predictable.
There is also the Data Passport 15GB cap to consider. If you are a postpaid M1 user running a busy month already and Japan pushes you toward that ceiling, the SGD $12.22/GB excess rate can make a late-trip dinner map search disproportionately expensive.
Japan is a country where reliable mobile data genuinely changes the quality of your trip. Navigating IC card top-ups at subway machines, finding the right ramen shop in a Shinjuku alley, checking train platform changes on Jorudan, booking a capsule hotel last-minute in Akihabara: all of it runs on your phone. TurkSIM eSIM for Japan run on NTT Docomo and SoftBank, the same networks M1 uses for roaming, meaning you get the same coverage footprint without the monthly billing complexity.
The dual-SIM approach works well for Japan travellers from Singapore. Your M1 SIM stays in the phone for your Singapore number, incoming calls, and banking SMS. The TurkSIM eSIM handles all your Japanese data. This is especially relevant for people who rely on their Singapore bank's OTP system or are on M1 prepaid and want to avoid any accidental PAYG charges on their M Card balance. The eSIM is scanned and installed before you leave, costs are fixed, and there is nothing to activate or track once you land at Narita.
Daily Passport in Japan is available to M1 postpaid customers on Bespoke Flexi, Bespoke Contract, and Bespoke SIM-Only plans. Customers on older non-Bespoke plans are not eligible and would need to switch to an eligible plan first. Prepaid M Card users access Japan roaming through Prepaid Roaming Packs instead.
Yes, 5G roaming in Japan is available to M1 postpaid customers with a 5G-enabled device and an active 5Go Access or 5Go Plus Booster subscription. You will also need to ensure your phone has 5G roaming enabled in its network settings. In practice, 4G LTE coverage is strong throughout Japan's major cities and tourist regions, so 5G is a bonus rather than a necessity for most travellers.
M1's system prioritises Data Passport when both are active for the same destination. If you want to switch to Daily Passport, you need to deactivate your Data Passport in the My M1+ App, wait for the deactivation to complete, then activate Daily Passport for Japan. This is most relevant once you approach the 15GB Data Passport cap and want to avoid excess charges.
Without a roaming add-on, M1 postpaid users are charged at pay-as-you-go rates with a 20% surcharge. These rates can be significant for even modest data use, as background apps, OS updates, and streaming quickly consume data. Always activate a Daily or Data Passport before using data abroad to avoid unexpected charges.
A moderate smartphone user navigating, messaging, and occasionally sharing photos will typically use between 1GB and 2GB per day in Japan. A 10-day trip could therefore need between 10GB and 20GB total. M1's Daily Passport with 3GB per day is sufficient for light to moderate use, but heavy users who stream video or use mobile hotspot should factor in the auto-renewal cost for additional Daily Passport activations.
Yes, for M1 Daily Passport users, additional days activate automatically when you use data with roaming enabled. For prepaid users, you can log in to the M1 Prepaid App to purchase additional Roaming Packs as long as you have internet access, either via Wi-Fi or your existing data allowance. Planning your data needs in advance and activating a pack before departure is always safer than relying on mid-trip top-ups.
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